Someone To Watch Over Me
by ncislove
Summary: Sometimes you need someone to watch over you. Gibbs/Abby. Lots of 'maybes' and 'almosts' between the two. Now rated M. Now Complete.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: First of all, I know I said I'd start posting my new story a few days after I finished my other one, but this story has gotten out of hand and grown exponentially (I hope you stick with it until the end). I'm not quite finished with it, but figured I would start posting… I don't want to leave it hanging for a week while I'm on vacation next month.

It will reach rating M.... ye be warned.

Huge thanks-a-billion to my beta for this one, Beth. It's because of all her ideas/suggestions/etc that this went from 'a few chapters' to over 20….

As usual, I don't own Gibbs and co. and no money is being made.

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Gibbs dropped into his chair with a sigh. It had already been a busy day and it was just past lunch time. He and the team had been called out a mere ten minutes after they had arrived, at eight in the morning, and they hadn't had a break since.

Everyone froze when the phone at Gibbs desk rang. Even though they had only been out for a few hours, it had been a rough take-down of a psychotic man wielding a gun, and the idea of being sent out again was something they weren't sure they could handle. The rest of the team let out a collective breath as Gibbs sighed into the phone. "Hey Duck, what do you need?"

"I could use a little help down here, Jethro."

"Be right down."

"Uh, Jethro, I'm in Abby's lab, not in autopsy."

"Is everything ok?"

"Just hurry down. No need to bring your gun."

"On my way." Gibbs had the phone back in the cradle and was on his feet in one swift motion. He shook his head when the rest of the team reached for their gear. He was quick as he made his way down the back stairwell.

"Ducky?" Gibbs was acutely aware of the silence that came from the lab as he stepped inside. He listened briefly and heard Ducky's voice carry from Abby's office.

Gibbs rounded the corner to find Ducky crouched down over Abby as she lay on her futon.

"Just a few more minutes and I'll be ok…" She lay shivering under the thin sheet she used as a blanket.

"Our dear Abigail seems to have come down with a touch of the flu."

Gibbs knelt beside Ducky and placed the back of his hand on her forehead. She was sweaty and her forehead was burning up. "She's really hot."

"103.1 I've given her some extra-strength Tylenol which should help, but…"

"She needs someone to take care of her. Duck, I've got some stuff to finish up upstairs, can you take her to my place and stay with her until I get home?"

"I suppose Mr. Palmer can handle the rest of the day without me. Can you help me get her to my car?"

Gibbs nodded and carefully lifted Abby. Her head lolled against his chest and he heard her mutter his name, but the rest was undecipherable. "It's alright, Abbs. You'll feel better soon." Gibbs jerked his head towards her purse and Ducky picked it up. "Don't forget her hippo."

They stepped into the elevator and headed up to the squad room. The team jumped to their feet as Gibbs carried her through to the other set of elevators. "She's just got the flu, she'll be ok."

Ducky opened the passenger side door and Gibbs set Abby in the seat, gently pulling the seatbelt across her. Once she was settled, Gibbs shut the door and turned to his friend. "Call me if there is anything specific I need to pick up before I come home. I'll make a stop at the grocery store. I shouldn't be too long."

"I assume you've got Tylenol. I've got a thermometer with me. So some juice and crackers will be all she needs for a few days."

Gibbs gave Ducky a pat on the back and headed back towards the building.

"Boss? Will she be ok?" Tony stood as Gibbs passed his desk.

"She'll be fine, DiNozzo. A few days of rest, and she'll be back to herself." Gibbs sat back at his desk. He didn't feel like finishing the report he was working on, but he knew he needed to get it done. He allowed his thoughts to drift to Abby for a few minutes. He had never seen her so sick before, and it was worrying.

An hour later, he was signing off on the last line. "Finish your reports and get out of here. Tony, you're in charge for a few days. I'll keep you updated on Abby."

"Thanks, boss."

Gibbs grabbed his jacket and headed out. His first stop was the grocery store. He loaded up a cart with crackers, juice, popsicles, and few things substantial enough for him. His second stop was Abby's apartment. He had an extra key, so he let himself self in to pack up some clothes and some magazines he had pulled from her mailbox when he picked up her mail.

He stood in the center of Abby's tiny bedroom. He knew she had a duffle bag stored in the hall closet, so he had dug that out and set it on her bed. It wasn't the first time he had been in her bedroom. He had helped her put her bed together a few years back, but it was odd to be standing alone, about to go through her drawers.

He went to the long dresser along the wall. He closed his eyes and hoped that the first drawer he pulled out would have something he would need. He reddened slightly when he realized he had picked the drawer containing her socks and underwear. _Grow up gunny_, he told himself. He grabbed enough of both for a week, he didn't know how long she'd stay, but it would be a few days at least.

The next drawer contained t-shirts. He grabbed a few of those as well. He searched for some sweat pants or something similar that would be comfy for her to lie around in. Lastly he pulled open drawers in search of something for her to sleep in. He decided on her penguin pajamas, she had brought them over the last time she had stayed at his place, during her crazy-ex stalker period, and had gone on and on about how they were the most comfy in the world. They looked it, too. She obviously wore them often, the fabric was well worn. The first time he had seen them he swore they looked like children's wear, but she was adamant that they were not.

When he was finished he tossed the bag over his shoulder and left, locking the door behind him.

He carried the groceries into his kitchen, and put away the cold items before headed upstairs in search of Ducky and Abby. Ducky had set her up in the spare bedroom. She was under a thin blanket with a thick towel under her head as Ducky swept a cool, wet cloth across her brow.

"I've gotten her temp down to around 102. She can have Tylenol in another hour. Please call me if it gets up to 104. Anything much higher than that can get rather dangerous."

"Sure." Gibbs took the cloth from Ducky and dipped it back into the bowl of cool water before returning it to her face.

"I should probably make sure Mr. Palmer hasn't torn autopsy to pieces." Ducky placed his hat back on his head and headed out.

Gibbs wiped the wet cloth across her forehead and then moved to her neck, reaching around to get the back of her neck the best he could without moving her, and then dipped the cloth in the bowl again to repeat the process. He continued the movements for nearly an hour before he pulled out the thermometer to take her temperature once again.

Abby stirred as he coaxed the thermometer under her tongue. When it beeped he was please to find that her temperature was down to 101. "Abby." He ran his thumb back and forth across her cheek a few times.

"Gibbs…?"She blinked a few times and tried to sit up.

"Hey." Gibbs settled her back down. "Lay back. I'm going to get you some juice so you can take some more medicine. I've got apple, grape, cranberry, orange or…. Some multi-fruit mix."

"I'm not thirsty." Her voice was weak, and she closed her eyes.

Gibbs rolled his eyes and patted her cheek affectionately and stood. He picked apple juice for her and brought two popsicles. He set everything on the bedside table and went to the hall closet for an extra pillow. "Ok, Abbs. Let's get you sitting up a bit."

"I just want to sleep." Abby rolled away from him.

"I know, and you can in a bit. You need to drink this juice, and take some Tylenol. I brought a popsicle as well. You'll feel better with a little sugar in your system. Come on." Gibbs slid an arm under her shoulders and lifted her, sliding an extra pillow behind her.

He held out the pills and the glass of juice. Once she was finished he un-wrapped her popsicle and handed it to her.

"You got the super-hero kind." A small smile played on her lips. "Superman, my favorite."

"I know. I pay attention." Gibbs smiled and un-wrapped his own frozen treat.

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I'm out the door in a bit, but I promise a second chapter this evening to get the story going…. Please let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: As promised, here is chapter two. After this it'll go back to one chapter a day. As I said before, this'll be a longer one… I'm currently working on Ch 27, so I hope you will stick with me :) Thanks again for all the kind reviews!

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As the bit of sugar edged into her system, Abby perked up a bit. "You don't have to take care of me. I just need a day or two of sleep. I'll be ok."

"You're right, you need a few days of sleep, and you'll be just fine. You aren't staying alone, so don't even try."

They chatted quietly until Gibbs noticed that her eyelids were looking heavy. "Alright, why don't you lay back and get some sleep." He helped remove the second pillow and set it aside. "Your cell phone is on the table, I'll be down stairs a bit. Call if you need anything or you suddenly feel worse. I'll check on you in a bit."

"Mmhmm…" Abby settled back and closed her eyes.

He stood watching her for few minute before stepping out of the room and shutting the door softly behind him. Making his way back to the kitchen he put away the rest of the groceries and then made a quick sandwich. He took his sandwich and a fresh cup of coffee down to the boat. He was able to keep himself busy for nearly an hour before he lost interest and headed back upstairs. He peeked in to find Abby still asleep, so he went to take a shower.

Once he had showered and redressed he went back to Abby's room. This time she was tossing and turning, her forehead covered in a light layer of sweat. He was able to take her temperature again to find that it had climbed back up to 102.5, so he went for a bowl of cool water, and returned to wipe down her forehead and back of her neck.

After two hours and another round of Tylenol, Gibbs finally had her fever down to just under 101. She seemed to be sleeping comfortably, so he pulled a chair from the corner of the room and settled back. He rested his heels up on the edge of the bed and crossed his arms over his chest. Within minutes he was asleep.

Gibbs woke when he felt the bed dip next to his feet. "Abby?"

Abby sat on the edge of the bed rubbing her eyes. She stood, and swayed slightly as she tried to balance.

Gibbs grabbed her shoulders, steadying her. "How you feeling?"

"Like I ran a marathon."

"Understandable. Bathroom?"

"Yeah." Abby started towards the door when she noticed a bag with presumably her clothes inside. "My clothes?"

"Yes."

"I think I'll shower then as well."

Gibbs picked up the bag and then followed her towards the bathroom. Inside the bathroom, he opened a cabinet to grab a clean towel and set it on the sink. "You'll be ok while I make some breakfast?"

Abby nodded and ran a hand through her hair.

"Don't try the stairs, I'll bring breakfast up." Gibbs pulled the bathroom door shut behind him and headed to the kitchen. He decided on scrambled eggs and a few crackers. He would see how that settled, and if she was still hungry, he would find something else to fix.

The warm water soothed the aches and pains that had been brought on by the fever. When her legs started to feel like jello, she turned off the water and grabbed for the towel. It took a solid twenty minutes to gather her strength to dry off and pull on a clean set of clothes – cotton shorts and an oversized tee. Had she been feeling better she would've been embarrassed at the thought of Gibbs packing her clothes – it meant that he had gone through her underwear drawer, but with the way she was feeling, she could care less.

Gibbs was waiting in the guest room when Abby walked back in and promptly dropped back onto the bed.

Gibbs pulled up the chair again and scooped a bite of scrambled eggs up with the fork and held it up for her. "You need to eat."

"I'm really not hungry."

"I know, but you need to eat something. You don't have to eat it all, but a few bites…" Gibbs moved the fork closer to her mouth and smiled when she opened her mouth. He hid a small smile as he fed her a few bites and then set down the fork to hand her a glass of juice and two Tylenol.

Abby downed half the juice and then reached for the crackers on the side of the plate. "Thanks Gibbs. I don't mean to sound ungrateful. I appreciate everything, I really do. I'll think of a million ways to make this up to you once I'm… not so… yuck."

"You have nothing to make up to me. Here, have another bite." He fed her a few more bites of egg and then was satisfied that she had eaten enough. "You tired? I grabbed some magazines that were in your mailbox when I grabbed your clothes. Or I could set you up on the couch to watch some TV for a bit?"

"Maybe watching some TV would be nice." Abby pulled the blanket back, but Gibbs stopped her and covered her back up.

"We'll take the blanket with." He slid one hand under her knees and the other around her waist, lifting her effortlessly.

"Gibbs, I can walk."

"You're unsteady on your feet. I don't need you falling down the stairs and adding to your misery. Grab the pillow."

Abby reached for the pillow and then gripped his shoulders tightly as she was carried out of the room and down the stairs.

Gibbs settled her on the couch, fluffing the pillow behind her and then left her to finished cleaning up from breakfast.

Abby sank into the couch; it was comfortable with just the right amount of support and just enough cushiness to really curl up in. She was rather pleased to see that he had kept the cable service she had signed him up for some months ago. She decided on CSI, it always made her laugh at the obvious mistakes in the forensics.

Gibbs finished drying the pan he had used for the eggs and went to join Abby on the couch. He rolled his eyes at her choice of entertainment. "You know that isn't real, right?"

"Of course, that's what makes it so entertaining." Abby leaned forward to pull the pillow out from behind her, and pushed it against Gibbs' side to lean against him. "See, they totally did that backwards. Everyone knows you add the second solution after… well, ok. Maybe you didn't know, but forensic people would know. I know."

Gibbs wrapped an arm around her and then lifted a hand to her forehead to check for a temperature.

"Gibbs, we checked my temp like 20 minutes ago, I'm good."

"Do we have to watch this?"

Abby settled against him with her pillow and nodded. "Nothing else on."

Gibbs didn't believe that. She had signed him up for a ridiculous number of channels, but if it was what she wanted to watch, he'd watch it. The show ended – finally – and Gibbs expected Abby to shift or change the channel, but she didn't move.

"Abby..?" He tried to get a quick look at her face, but when he shifted, she fell forward a bit, mumbling something in her sleep. He worked the pillow free, and placed it on his lap and settled her forward so that she was resting her head on the pillow. He could see her face more clearly, and she had a peaceful look to her. He touched the back of his hand to her forehead one more time to be sure, and then ran his fingers through her raven hair, still slightly damp from her shower.

The slow pull of fingers through her hair woke Abby two hours later. "Gibbs?"

He leaned forward to get a better look. "Yes?"

Her eyes stayed closed as she spoke. "Can I have another blanket? I'm getting cold."

Gibbs frowned and felt her forehead. She was warm again. "Yeah, let's get you back upstairs again." He gently lifted her again, and noticed that she was shivering. Laying her back on the bed in the guest room, he pulled the blankets over her, hoping it would stop the teeth chattering shivers that wracked her body.

Her temperature was back to 102. "I'm going to get you some juice. You can have some medicine again in about an hour."

He watched her toss and turn as he stroked her hair, willing the time to go faster so she could take the pills again. Finally he sat her up so she could take the medicine and drink the juice. He pulled the chair close to her bed again and sat holding her hand between both of his as her body slowly stilled and she fell back asleep.

He left the room twice, to hit the head and to make some fresh coffee as well as grab a box of crackers up to eat while he waited for her to wake up again. Each time he returned he picked up her hand and ran his thumb gently back and forth over the back of her hand.

The room darkened as the sun went down and he angled the chair so he could still sit beside her, but also prop his feet up on the edge of the bed. He pulled her hand out to rest on his knee, covering her hand with his own. Settling back he closed his eyes to sleep.

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_TBC…. Let me know what you think!_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I've gotten a lot of response that people were worried that Abby would suddenly get worse, and… yeah. No fear. Her being sick is just… the beginning of the story. She will get better, and very soon.

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Abby slept through the night. She woke to find herself wrapped securely in blankets, with the exception of one arm which was extended and her hand resting… she gave a slight squeeze… on Gibbs knee. His hand tightened over hers and she turned to look at him. His head was tilted back and his mouth hung open slightly.

"Gibbs?"

Gibbs jerked forward, his feet falling from the bed. "You ok?"

Abby closed her eyes and nodded. "You sleep like an old man, your mouth hanging open like that." She still didn't feel well, but she couldn't help but poke fun. She ached from the constant shivering the night before, and her body felt tense, but no fever.

"You're lucky you're sick, you should get head-slap for that smartass comment." Instead he used his pointer finger to flick her nose lightly. "I'll get you some juice and crackers." Gibbs ran a hand across her forehead and down to cup her cheek. "I'll be right back."

Gibbs ran a hand through his hair and he headed down the stairs to the kitchen. He poured a glass of juice for himself and downed it in one, and then poured a glass for Abby.

Back up in the guest room he helped her to sit and drink the juice. She tilted her head from side to side to try and alleviate the stiffness in her muscles.

"How about I run you a hot bath, it should help the aches and pain."

"I can do it."

"You can wait while I run the water. I'll be back for you in a few. Sit there and try not to fall over."

Abby gave a weak salute. "Yes, sir."

Gibbs ran a hot bath, digging out some sort of bubble bath that Abby had left when she spent a few days with him during her stalker case.

He returned to walk her to the bathroom. "There is a clean towel on the counter. I'll be right outside, so you call if you need anything. Take your time."

Gibbs stepped out of the bathroom and pulled the door shut behind him. He lowered himself to the floor to sit and wait. He knew he shouldn't, but he could imagine the way the over-sized t-shirt easily lifted over her head and then piled on the floor. Her shorts would be next… no, he shook his head, trying to dislodge the thoughts that toyed with his brain and body. She was sick, he was there to help her, not daydream about her.

"Gibbs…" he heard her call softly.

He was on his feet in an instant. "Everything alright in there?"

"Will you sit with me? I'm all covered."

Gibbs pushed the door open slowly. She sat in the tub, fully covered by the bubbles. She rolled her head to the side to look at him. "I need you to stay and talk to me so I don't fall asleep and slip under."

"Sure." Gibbs sat beside the bathtub. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know, tell me something."

"DiNozzo is having a field day running the office this week without me."

Abby cracked a smile. "You know, on days where he's in charge, he gets in extra early and sits at your desk. He says he does it to channel 'the boss power'. But don't tell him I told you."

His brow winkled. "I thought my chair had been adjusted."

"That was probably me. Tony wouldn't dare change anything."

"So now you're sitting at my desk, too?"He looked at her curiously.

"Yeah. Occasionally I hangout up in the squad room while you guys are out, it's nice with a change of scenery while I'm waiting for you guys to bring me back evidence."

"Hmm…"

They chatted a while longer, until Gibbs dipped his fingers into the water to find it had cooled significantly. "I'll go grab some fresh clothes for you."

Abby pulled the plug on the drain and grabbed the towel. She wrapped the fluffy towel around herself and leaned against the counter waiting for Gibbs to return with her clothes. She changed quickly into the penguin pajamas and allowed him to lead her back to bed.

The hot bath had done wonders for her sore muscles, and she sank into the soft mattress with a sigh. Abby looked at the clock on the wall, it was early, around 0500. "You don't have to stay and babysit me. I know how you thrive on work."

"Tony is doing just fine, Ziva hasn't called and threatened to quit yet. I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh." Abby closed her eyes and stretched her neck again.

In a moment of weakness, Gibbs found himself nudging her softly and telling her to move over. He lay down beside her and motioned for her to turn away from him. Once she did, he gripped her shoulder tightly and pressed his thumb against the tense muscles running up the back of her neck.

The soft moan that told him his movements were welcomed caused his breath to catch. _No_, he told himself silently. _She's sick, get your mind out of the gutter_. He massaged a while longer, letting his thoughts drift to safe topics, his boat, work, the man they had chased down the week before.

Abby sighed and turned over to face him. He was about to ask how she felt, but her eyes were closed. He froze as she snuggled up against him. Feeling slightly paranoid, he swept the back of his hand across her forehead and exhaled when he realized her skin felt cool.

He lay his head down on the pillow to try and figure out how he could get up without waking her but somehow, in the process of thinking, his eyes slipped closed and he joined Abby in sleep.

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_TBC…_

_Leave some love, I love to know what you think =)_


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks again so much to those that reviewed, you are oh so very inspiring….

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Gibbs woke to find Abby sitting cross-legged beside him on the bed, her back resting against the wall. "You're hungry, Gibbs." She poked his stomach and smiled when his reflexes made him tense.

"Huh?"He rubbed his eyes as he sat up to sit beside her.

"Your stomach has been growling for the last twenty minutes. You've got to take care of yourself. Otherwise you'll end up sick, too."

"I don't get sick, Abby."

"You might."

"How are you feeling?" Gibbs reached up to feel her forehead.

Abby leaned into his touch and sighed. "Better than yesterday."

"Feel like you could eat a sandwich?"

"I guess I'm a little hungry."

Gibbs pushed up off the bed, unaware that Abby was following until he stopped to turn around and she crashed into him. "I can bring it up to you."

"Nah, I'll come down. I need to move around a bit."

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It was Thursday before Gibbs felt that Abby was well enough to go home, though he would be sad to see her leave. "Got everything?" He stood by the front door, holding it open.

"Yep." Abby had the usual spring back in her step. She paused to place a timid kiss to Gibbs' cheek as she passed by. "Thanks again for everything."

"Welcome, Abbs."Gibbs pulled the door shut behind him and followed her out to his car. On the car ride over, he agreed that she could come to work on Friday, but that she was to take it easy, and under no circumstances was she to arrive before 9am or stay beyond 5pm.

Gibbs pulled up to Abby's apartment complex to find the parking lot surprisingly empty. He grabbed Abby's bag from the back seat and followed her up to her door.

"Fumigating, again?!" Abby ripped the paper from her front door.

"Looks like another few days with me. Can you handle it?" Gibbs took the paper from her hands and read it over. The building was to be vacated from 9am Friday until 9am Tuesday.

"Oh Gibbs, I can't put you out any longer than I already have."

"It's not putting me out. Plus, I've still got some super-hero popsicles."

Abby grinned. "Well, in that case… I can't say no."

Gibbs gave her a playful shove. "Go grab what you need for the weekend." Abby disappeared into her bedroom to grab some clean clothes while Gibbs looked around her living room. It certainly wasn't the first time he'd been over, but he loved looking at all the photos she had around her place. The photos mainly contained people from work, and a few from bowling with the nuns.

He always seemed to drift towards his favorite photograph. It was a shot of the entire team together, right after Tony had returned from his time away as an Agent Afloat. They had gathered at a bar and Abby had handed her camera to the bartender and then everyone had squeezed in to the shot.

He set the photo back on the bookshelf when Abby came back, her bag slung over her shoulder.

The drive to work on Friday was fun. Abby was excited to get back in and see everyone, and sat as patiently as she could in the passenger seat of Gibbs car.

"Remember, to take it easy today. If you need a break, it's ok." Gibbs reminded her. "I'll try and make it down at lunch time, but who knows what kind of mess Tony has left for me to clean up. If nothing else, I'll be down to pick you up to go home by 5."

After spending a few minutes chatting with McGee, Ziva and Tony, Abby took her Caf-Pow down to her lab to get started for the day. She had a few DNA samples to run for other teams, and she was sure that the substitute had left her lab in a mess.

The day went by in a blur, and she was thankful that it was a Friday, giving her time to recover over the weekend before starting the new week.

Abby looked up at the clock on the wall when she heard the doors slide open. "Right on time, Gibbs." She didn't have to look over to see that it was him.

"Ready to go?"

"You've got no idea." Abby whispered a few more reassurances to Major Mass Spec before flipping the power switch, grabbing her coat and bag, and following Gibbs to his car. That evening they ordered Chinese and half an hour later, after the delivery boy had received his tip, they settled on the couch to watch TV while they ate. Abby reached for the remote, but Gibbs was faster.

"_Gibbs!"_

"None of that 'crime scene crap', I get enough of that at work."

Abby rolled her eyes and reached over to stab a piece of sweet-and-sour chicken from Gibbs' plate.

"_Hey!_"

Abby forked a piece of her cashew chicken and offered it as a trade. In the end they chose a World War Two documentary on the history channel. When they finished eating Abby swung her legs up to rest across Gibbs lap, and then lay back on the sofa. Abby was content. Gibbs' warm hands rested lightly on her shins, and she felt as though she belong. Twenty minutes after she lay down, Abby was fast asleep. Gibbs drained the last of his beer as he finished watching the program, his fingers ghosting lightly back and forth across one of her legs. When he was finished, he slipped out from under her legs and then carefully lifted her to carry her to bed. The thought briefly crossed his mind to carry her to his bed so that he could lie beside her again, but he shook the thoughts from his mind. He tucked her into the spare bed and then headed down to the basement.

Abby watched through heavy eyelids as Gibbs closed the door behind him. She wished he hadn't brought her up to bed so quickly. She had been comfortable on the couch, and being near him reminded her of how safe she felt when he was around.

When he had tucked her in it had been tempting to reach out for him, ask him to stay even if it was just a few more minutes, but she wasn't a scared child. He already looked out for her enough, and scared child wasn't exactly what she wanted him to see her as, so instead she had kept her eyes closed and watched him leave.

He hoped the slow burn of the bourbon down his throat would burn away the feelings he felt for the woman two flights of stairs above him.

There was something about her that just grabbed hold of him and wouldn't let go, no matter how hard he tried to get away.

He loved her.

But she didn't love him. Sure she flirted, but she flirted with everyone, McGee, DiNozzo… even Harry the janitor received the occasional hug. The only person she didn't flirt with was director Vance, and he was pretty sure that was because she was still bitter over the team being split for four months.

He knew he couldn't take it if she stopped flirting with him, not because it gave him hope – he would swear it didn't – but because it was his escape. The few precious words, the looks, the smiles, her warm embrace. It was all his escape from the horror that he so often saw in relation to their job. That's why he knew he couldn't risk it, because without that escape…

The saw dust tickled his nose as he moved about the basement. He took one last swallow of the amber liquid before hitting the light and headed up to bed.

Alone.  
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TBC….

Yay, Abby isn't feeling so sick anymore…. Now the real story shall begin. Please Review, all comments/criticism is most welcome.


	5. Chapter 5

Love all the reviews, I do believe I responded to everyone who left a signed review… my apologies if I missed ya.

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Abby spent the majority of Saturday hunched over Gibbs' dining room table editing an article for a new scientific journal that a friend, a fellow forensic scientist, had written.

Gibbs spent the morning with his boat, coming up at lunch time to reheat the remaining Chinese food from the night before. He placed a plate of food in front of Abby. "Have a few minutes for lunch?"

"Thanks." She pushed the papers aside, and as they ate she explained the journal article she was editing. Gibbs didn't completely understand everything she was saying, but he listened with interest anyway.

After lunch Abby went back to her papers and Gibbs headed outside to mow the lawn. Finishing the paper early, Abby grabbed two popsicles and headed out back. She sat on the steps of the back porch and held up a popsicle. Gibbs stopped the mower and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Perfect timing."

Abby handed over the popsicle and then took a deep breath. "Ah, the smell of cut grass, it smells so fresh."

"It does." They sat on the back steps enjoying the sunny weather.

"I'm going to the grocery store to get stuff for dinner. Need anything?"

"No. And I'm sure I've got stuff for dinner, you don't have to go shopping."

"I know, but I want to."

"Whatever you want." Gibbs pressed a soft kiss to her cheek and headed back to the lawnmower.

That evening Abby stood in the kitchen mixing her own special blend of spices for the chicken she was about to put in the oven.

"Whatcha making?" Gibbs peered over Abby's shoulder and flicked her ponytail.

"Jesus, Gibbs. Never sneak up on me in the kitchen. I could have knife in my hand and turn and stab you or something."

"I checked for a knife. Anything I can do?"

"Umm…" Abby surveyed the kitchen. "You could probably start the grill for the veggies."

With another flick to her ponytail, Gibbs headed to light the grill. "Yes ma'am."

When the chicken was finally put in the oven, Abby finished with cutting up the vegetables and brought them out to be grilled.

Gibbs was pleasantly surprised at the outcome of the food. He had heard stories of granny Sciuto and her famous recipes that she had taught Abby, but he had never tasted anything besides the gumbo that Abby brought in every year around the holidays.

"You know, if this is how you cook, I might not let you leave." They carried their dishes into the kitchen. Gibbs started in on the dirty dishes while Abby wrapped up the leftovers for the next day. Gibbs had a dishwasher, but he rarely used it, preferring to do the few dishes by hand. He was nearly elbow deep in suds when Abby stepped up beside him with a clean, dry dish towel.

He opened his mouth to protest, she was a guest and she had cooked, there was no need for her to help, but when she scooped up a few bubbles and blew them at him, he changed his mind.

Abby watched with wide eyes, unable to move, as Gibbs slowly scooped up a large handful of sudsy bubbles and placed them on her head. "You…"

"What?" Gibbs gave an innocent smile.

She moved her hand to the top of her head and wiped, the best she could, the bubbles from her hair. She was still slightly shocked that he would do something… something so… playful. She grabbed a handful of bubbles and slapped his cheek lightly, pushing the bubbles to the tip of his nose with her thumb.

"That was uncalled for, Abigail Sciuto." He used his best interrogation stare, but it did nothing but encourage her to laugh harder. Her laugh was infectious and soon he found himself reaching for the sprayer on the kitchen sink.

"You wouldn't… you wouldn't dare spra-" Abby was cut off by a stream of water to the face.

In trying to make a grab for the sprayer, Abby slipped on the wet floor. Gibbs was quick to catch her, but he had her in an awkward hold, so the best he could do was lower her to the ground slowly. Abby cringed when she felt the seat of her pants soak through with the water that had been spilled.

Abby slipped around on the wet floor as she tried to get up. Eventually she accepted Gibbs outstretched hand. "I will get you back for that, Gibbs. I don't know when, and I don't know how… but one day, you will pay." She couldn't quite pull a serious face, but it didn't matter, he knew she would make good on her threat.

Gibbs shrugged as she stood. "Looks like you wet your pants, Abbs."

-----

TBC…

I know this was a tad on the short side, some tasty reviews could inspire me to post chapter six as well… I'm nearly finished 'editing' it .


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six, as promised…. Don't forget to click the lovely review button after you read =)

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Sunday morning it took a small smile and batting lashes and Gibbs was changing into his Sunday best. It had been a while since he had been to church, long cases had kept him busy, but Abby went nearly every Sunday.

After church Abby stayed with the nuns, they had plans for bowling practice later in the afternoon, so Gibbs returned home alone. He was acutely aware of how silent his house was without Abby around. Even before, when she was sick and slept most of the day, he could feel her presence around. Gibbs changed into clothes more suitable for working on his boat and headed to the basement. He figured it to be a tad sacrilegious – at church one minute, drinking bourbon alone in the dark the next – but he didn't really care.

Once he had been able to focus his thoughts more on his boat and less on Abby, he lost track of time. Minutes or maybe hours later… he wasn't sure… he heard footsteps on the stairs.

"You eat?"

"Huh?"

"I was going to heat up the chicken and veggies from last night. It's a bit late. I wasn't sure if you ate yet, or if I should heat up enough for two."

"What time is it?"

"Seven thirty."

"Oh, um, no I haven't eaten."

"Ok." She smiled and headed back up the steps. "I'll heat some up for you as well."

After dinner Gibbs plopped down on the couch with a sigh. He had a few case-files that he needed to read through before handing in to the director. He could still hear Abby moving around the kitchen and it wasn't until the tell-tale smell of coffee brewing, that he knew what she was doing.

Abby appeared with two cups of coffee in hand, and a magazine under her arm. She set the coffee mugs on the table and then sat on the couch, her back against the armrest. She buried her toes under Gibbs thigh and opened the magazine to the folded page where she had left off.

As her toes warmed under his leg, he looked at her over his reading glasses (that he only ever wore at home) and gave her ankle a soft squeeze. She was already engrossed in the article she was reading and failed to notice the look, but she gave a slight smile at the warm hand on her bare ankle.

As she finished the main article she was reading she stopped to watch Gibbs. His brow was furrowed, and he sipped the coffee she had brought out as he read. She observed the way his throat moved when he swallowed, and the way his hand tightened around the mug as he flipped to a new page. She had always liked his hands. They were rough and strong, yet she knew them to be delicate as well. Every time he swept his fingers or thumb across her cheek, it was tender and soft. She was amazed at the things he could with his hands. She'd watch him clean his gun after a long day, and then there were the times she had spent the night after a close call with a psycho lab assistant or crazy ex-boyfriend. Those times she had sat in his basement and watched him work on his boat. There was just something about his perfectly trimmed nails, the evenly tanned skin… She had always joked that he was magic, but she was fairly certain his hands were.

"Something you'd like to say, Abbs?"

"Huh?" She focused back on his face.

"You're staring."

God, of course he could tell she was starting. Magic, right? "Oh. I was just thinking."

"About?"

"Back to work tomorrow and I've got a million things to do in the lab."

"Ah."

Abby stifled a yawn.

"Get to bed, you still aren't 100%."

"Probably a good idea." She picked up her empty coffee mug. "Need a refill?"

"I… sure."

Abby carried her mug to the kitchen and then returned with a coffee pot for Gibbs refill. "Night, Gibbs."

"Night."

---

_TBC…_


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks again to everyone who is reading/reviewing… Enjoy the next chapter!

----

Monday was a nightmare at NCIS. The team was on a call out all day, with the exception of McGee bringing various evidence and DNA samples to run. The petty officer they were after seemed to be one step in front of them the entire day. It wasn't until Abby found a single strand of hair that proved his guilt, that they were able to haul him in to custody. Abby waited anxiously for Gibbs and the team to return. Last she had heard was that the petty officer had been armed and extremely dangerous. It always bothered her when the team was out after someone dangerous, but now that she had spent a good week with Gibbs she was feeling a little more attached than usual.

If she allowed herself to be totally honest, she was actually sad to be going home the next day. There was something relaxed and comfortable in living with Gibbs. They managed to spend time together as well as do their own thing without the feel of getting in each other's way or stepping on toes.

She thought back to the night before, she could imagine many more nights beside him on the couch. She could also imagine many more things to do on the couch besides reading or watching TV, but she hesitated to let her mind wander that far. She figured he would never go for her, he was probably convinced he was too old for her despite the many hints she had dropped over the years that she didn't find age to be an issue.

Warm hands on her shoulders brought her out of her thoughts. "Gibbs!" She jumped up to pull him in to a tight hug.

"Certainly not DiNozzo. You have those final test results?" He mumbled against her lab coat covered neck.

Abby danced away from him to grab a small stack of papers from the printer. "Hot off the press."

"Thanks. Come upstairs when you've finished up here. I'll be ready to leave soon."

Abby smiled through the kiss to her cheek and then set about closing up shop for the evening. _That was another thing, _she thought. _I'll miss the carpool._ It took about half an hour to get everything cleaned up, machines switched off and her desk straightened up.

Up in the squad room, Ziva was the only at her desk. "Where'd everyone go?"

"Gibbs is up with the director and Tony and McGee left a few minutes ago. I am just finishing up some paper work. What are you still doing here?"

Abby sat at Tony's desk and dug around in the top drawer for a piece of chocolate. "Waiting for Gibbs."

"Oh?"

"I stayed with him while I was sick, and then my place has been fumigated, so I stayed with him over the weekend. I can go home again tomorrow."

"Fumigated, again?"

"I know. Ever since the new landlord took over the place has gone downhill." Abby tossed a chocolate across the room towards Ziva, but Gibbs caught it mid-air.

"Nice catch, Gibbs."

"Let's get out of here."

"Ok." Abby tossed another piece of chocolate to Ziva and then gathered her stuff.

The car ride home was silent; Abby could see the tension on Gibbs face, as he drove. She decided against asking what was wrong, he wasn't likely to tell anyway.

Inside she made a bee-line for the coffee machine and hovered around it until the coffee was finished. Gibbs had immediately retreated to the basement. Abby let him work for an hour or so before following down with the coffee.

She perched on the workbench and waited for him to come join her. She didn't expect him to talk, but when he did she was shocked at what he said.

"I don't want you to leave."

"Wh- what?"

"I'd really like you to stay. Here."

"Gibbs, I… I… why?"

"I'm not asking you to move in to be my lover, I… this place is so silent and lifeless without you around."

Abby hid a small frown at his confession that he wasn't interested as a lover. "But you must be getting tired of me. You see me every day at work."

"In case you haven't notice, the relationship with my boat hasn't struggled. There is plenty of space for the both of us, and your apartment building is a mess. We can try it out, and if you change your mind I'll help you find a new place. Regardless, you can't keep living in that complex."

"What if I want to have party?"

"You prefer going out to holding parties at your place, but if you want to have a party here, I don't care. I just need a little warning ahead of time and no dancing on my boat."

"What about all my stuff?"

"You don't have that much stuff, you have such a small apartment, but I'm sure we can find room for everything."

"You really wouldn't mind a roommate?"

"Nah. Like I said, we can give it a try, and if you decide you want your own place, I will gladly help you find a new apartment. You just need to get out of the dump you're in now. So what do you say? Keep an old Marine company?"

Abby hopped off the work bench and headed towards the stairs to hide her smile, unsure of how exactly to answer. Of course she wanted to stay, but she didn't want to make a big deal out of it and make Gibbs uncomfortable. As she headed up the stairs she turned to talk over her shoulder. "If Hollis Mann moves back in town, I'm out of here."

Gibbs smiled down at his coffee. "I'd be right behind you."

They waited until the following weekend to move her stuff over. The majority of her big furniture, her coffin included, was stored up in his attic though she switched the bed in his guest room, now her room, for her own bed.

She stacked her large DVD collection next to his TV and they agreed that they needed some sort of shelving unit to house them.

"You've really seen all those?"

"At least once."

By the time Sunday evening rolled around, Abby was exhausted from carrying box after box up to her room, formally the guest room. She stretched out on her bed, deciding that she would shower in the morning rather than drag herself across the hall to shower before bed. She had to admit, it was slightly odd that she agreed to move in with him. She knew it would raise more than a few questions with just about everyone in the agency, but in some way it was comforting to consider Gibbs' house home. She had considered the implications of dating. She was free to date whoever, but she wasn't really looking. Sometime between her first day at NCIS and now, she knew that as long as Gibbs was in her life, not matter how, she'd never start a relationship with someone else. It wasn't that she hadn't gone on any dates, she'd gone on more than a few, but they never went past the first date, because there was no point. She felt like she needed to be single, just in case.

Tony was the first down to the lab. "So uh, Abby?"

"Yes, Tony?"

"I heard a rumor…"

"A rumor?" Abby arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that maybe, I mean, I don't know, but maybe you're living with the boss?"

Abby was amused at Tony's obvious discomfort. "Where did you hear the rumor from, Tony?"

"Uh… McGee."

"Really?"

There was no way Tony could lie to Abby. It just didn't feel right. "No, I saw your change of address form on Gibbs desk. What gives?"

"I needed out of my apartment. It has been fumigated three times in the last six months, and I don't know, Gibbs has a big enough house."

"Anything _else_ I should know about?"

Abby shot Tony a look over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. "Grow up Tony."

"Just wondering. I'll see you later, Abby."

Abby waved him away.

--------

_TBC…_

_Reviews = looooove_


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Thanks again for all the lovely reviews, I do believe I got back to everyone.

---

As the weeks passed, everyone quit questioning their living arrangements. It was Gibbs and Abby, and no one tried to figure out what they were or weren't because in all honesty it was no use. There was no single category they could be placed in.

Because work had been so busy, there were still boxes left unpacked. One evening, after a rather slow day at work, Abby stood in her room, her hands on her hips as stared at the stack of boxes.

"Staring at them won't make them unpack themselves, Abby."

"I know…" She sighed, "Think we could add some more shelves? I've got so many photos that I'd like to have up." Abby lifted the top off a box revealing all her framed photos.

"Of course, I can hang some this weekend." Gibbs searched the box with his eyes until he found the frame he recognized. He lifted the photo and smiled. "Think this one could go down stairs? I was thinking this weekend I would also build something for all your DVDs. But I like this photo, maybe it could be displayed in the living room as well."

Abby stepped up to Gibbs to look at the photo he had picked up. It was her favorite of the team as well. "I'd like that."

Gibbs pulled her into a half hug and then left her to finish unpacking.

Any thoughts of their living arrangements being awkward were quickly set aside. They fell into a relaxed routine of cooking dinner together, spending an hour or two on their own, and then ending up on the sofa reading or watching TV until drifting off to their own rooms for bed.

Gibbs didn't always work on his boat when he disappeared down the steps, sometimes he just sat in the basement, coffee mug in hand, and thought. Sometimes he would feel miserable about the less than innocent thoughts that he had of Abby, but he knew he couldn't act on his feelings – he couldn't ruin their friendship, he would rather be miserably in love with his best friend than not have her in his life. Sometimes, only for a moment, he would allow himself to pretend that they were more than friends. Usually it was when they stood in the kitchen cleaning up after a nice dinner they had prepared together. He would usually start the teasing, snapping her in the thigh with a damp dishtowel only to find himself being threatened with the sprayer from the kitchen sink.

He was harshly reminded that it was only pretend when she went out on a date about a month after she moved in. He retreated to the darkness of the basement while she got ready, and stayed a while after he heard her shout that she was leaving and he heard the door shut.

He sat in the dark and drained his bourbon before heading up the stairs and calling for a pizza. He was halfway through his first slice when he heard the front door fly open and then slam shut.

"What a fucker…"Abby mumbled to herself as she hung her coat in the closet. "Gibbs?"

"Abby?" He glanced at his watch; she had only been gone for a little over two hours.

Abby followed the sound of his voice. It led her to the kitchen where Gibbs stood eating a slice of pizza over the sink. She nodded at the pizza in his hand and sighed. "Please tell me there is more where that came from."

Gibbs stepped back to reveal the pizza on the counter beside him. "Didn't you eat?"

Abby took a huge bite of pizza and hopped up on the counter opposite Gibbs. "Let's just say we didn't get that far. Oh he brought me to a nice restaurant, but had no plans of going in. He thought that we'd hook up in the parking lot and then go back to his place…"

"Are you ok?" Gibbs eyed her for any sign of a physical struggle.

"Hungry." Abby pointed to the pizza and took a large bite when she was handed a second slice. "And a little tired from the walk home, but don't worry. I'm fine. He on the other hand is likely icing his nose."

"That's my girl. How far did you walk?"

"Four, maybe five miles."

"Abby! You should've called. I would've picked you up."

"I know, but I was angry and the long walk cooled me down. It's not like it's raining or something."

"Call me next time."

"There won't be a next time. I threatened him with forensic… stuff if he ever called again."

_Only Abby_, he thought_. Only Abby._ He couldn't help but smile.

-

Gibbs was busy sorting through some case files when he heard Abby coming down the stairs. He was shocked to see her dressed up in a rather fancy and expensive looking dress. Her long legs we accentuated by the black heels she wore, and her pale skin popped against the deep red shawl she had wrapped around her shoulders. His mouth was dry as he worked to pull a few words together. "You look nice."

"Thanks. I'm heading out for dinner."

"Must be somewhere nice?" He mentally head-slapped himself for not thinking to take her somewhere nice lately, but work had been busy.

"The Ritz." She had a mischievous look on her face.

It suddenly dawned on him what was going on. "Job offer?"

"Yep, I like to see what I'm worth to other agencies. Don't worry, I wouldn't leave NCIS."

"Good to know."

_----_

_No… she won't leave NCIS, so no flames about her leaving m'kay?_

_Reviews = love, I love reading what ya'll have to say!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Two chapters in one day… goodness, what is coming over me?_

_---_

"_Yep, I like to see what I'm worth to other agencies. Don't worry, I wouldn't leave NCIS."_

"_Good to know." _

Gibbs watched as she adjusted her hair in the hallway mirror one last time. She grabbed her keys and purse and headed towards the door. "Won't be gone long, I'll let you know exactly what I'm worth when I get back." She called over her shoulder before pulling the door closed behind her.

"I know what you're worth, Abbs. I know what you're worth."

Abby had agreed to meet Fornell at the Ritz rather than have him pick her up. Gibbs knew where her loyalties were, but she also knew that Fornell had a habit of trying to poach agents from Gibbs team, despite their 'friendship'. She had the feeling that if Fornell showed up at his doorstep, dinner would be over before it had even began.

Fornell was grateful that Abby had agreed to meet him at the restaurant, although he had offered to pick her up. He didn't particularly enjoy being slammed against the wall, Gibbs hand at his throat. Though Gibbs really should've been thanking him, had Fornell known what a wench Diane had been he never would've made a move. The way he figured it, he brought Gibbs relationship to an end a good six months earlier than it would've lasted. They had both later agreed that that had been a good thing.

But Abby was different. Fornell wasn't sure that Gibbs would've stopped at just slamming him against the wall and growling a warning. Abby was off limits and he knew it. He wasn't even sure why he was taking Abby to dinner to offer the job, he knew she wouldn't take it, but the director of the FBI wanted Abby for their agency, and wouldn't step aside until Fornell had at least tried.

"Good evening, Abby. You look nice."

"Fornell! Thank you." Abby bypassed his outstretched hand and hugged him. She knew it made him feel awkward.

Fornell directed her into the restaurant, his hand held an inch away from her back, as if Gibbs might be able to tell that he had touched her.

They were seated quickly and Fornell ordered a bottle of wine.

"Why don't you tell me how much your director wants to offer, so I can politely refuse and we can enjoy our dinner."

Fornell admired her straightforwardness. He pulled out a piece of paper and slid it across the table for her to read. Her eyebrows lifted at the offer, it was much more than NCIS could ever afford, but the benefits that came with working at NCIS far outweighed the large sum the FBI offered.

"Impressive."

"Does that mean you'll at least consider?"

"If by consider you mean, take this offer and squeeze an extra grand a year out of Director Vance, then sure, I'll consider."

"Point taken."

Abby didn't really mind Fornell. He wasn't as fun as Mike Franks, but he was good for a chat. He was, by no means, a scientist, but he did know a bit more about forensics that Gibbs did, so Abby never ran out of things to talk about.

After their dinner finished, Fornell offered dessert, but Abby declined. Abby thanked Fornell as he paid and she told him to wish the director of the FBI well in his search for a new forensic scientist. He escorted her to her car, then got into his own and drove away.

Abby waited until he pulled out before walking across the street to the grocery store. She received a few odd looks as she searched for the cold section, her heels clacking on the hard floor. She pulled a pint of ice cream out of the freezer section and then went to pay.

"Giiibbs?"

"Yeah?" He was still sitting at the table, various case files spread before him. She thought he looked cute as he sat at the table, his glasses on. She would never admit it, but his glasses had sparked a few 'Professor Gibbs' fantasies that had seen her through more than one lonely night.

"Ice cream!" She held the pint up by her face and waved her other hand in front of it. "Fornell offered dessert, but I'd much rather-" Abby silently cursed herself. She hadn't meant to let it slip that it had been Fornell that had taken her out.

"Fornell?"

"I meant the FBI..?"

"No, you meant Fornell." Gibbs growled.

"Come on, Gibbs…" Abby tugged at his arm. "…it was just dinner, I ordered the most expensive thing on the menu, refused their offer, talked non-stop about major mass Spec. and then went to get us some ice cream. Stop pouting."

"Fornell knows I don't like him trying to poach one of mine."

"Yours, huh? Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think he was too scared to pick me up, so that's why we met there."

"I need to make a phone call." Gibbs flipped his phone open, but hesitated when Abby thumped him on the chest with a spoon.

"If you call Fornell and throw a fit, I'm not sharing the ice cream."

"You can't eat it all."

Abby gave him a daring look. "Watch me."

Gibbs thought momentarily before closing his phone and following her to the couch in the living room. "So how much did they offer you?"

"A lot."

"Why don't you take their offer?"

"Gibbs! I'm offended. I like to think of myself as part of the team. I know I'm not an agent, but still. You did just call me one of yours. I'm pretty certain none of the others would leave NCIS just because the FBI waves a large check in their face."

"Sorry."

Abby's thoughts on his apology were sidetracked as she opened the rocky road ice cream. She scooped up as much ice cream as possible and pushed it into her mouth.

"Classy, Abbs."

Abby handed him the ice cream and squeezed her eyes shut against the brain freeze. Abby settled against him, kicking her heels to the floor. "This is nice. Hand me the ice cream."

----

TBC….

Reviews =Love


	10. Chapter 10

Wow, I'm so flattered by all the new people subscribing to this story. I would love to hear what you have to say about the story. All comments/constructive criticism is welcome.

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There were times, especially after a rough case, where he wished he could just admit to Abby that he needed her. They had just dealt with a case involving small children. The team had been moments away from losing the little girl, and it had hit Gibbs harder than he would care to admit.

As soon as they arrived home, Gibbs changed and then headed down to the boat only pausing to tell her to not wait for him for dinner.

Abby knew better than to try and push him to talk, so she fixed a quick sandwich, eating it over the sink and then curled up on the couch and waited.

And waited.

It was near 1am when she finally heard his footsteps coming up the stairs. He wasn't entirely surprised to find her still awake, but he was grateful that she was.

She watched him round the coffee table to sit next to her, and the moment he sat she wrapped her arms around his torso and hugged him tight; it was the only way he would accept her support. She knew if she tried to tell him that everything was ok, that they saved the child, he would push her away again, so she just hugged him.

He was rigid in her arms at first, but the longer she hugged him she could feel him start to relax against her. She wanted to take it one step further, she wanted to press her lips to his in a soft kiss, but she didn't need to stress him out any more than he already was, and she certainly didn't need to make their living arrangements awkward.

Abby was warm in his arms as he slowly returned the hug. He wanted nothing more than to tell her how much he needed her, wanted her. "Abby, I.. I.." His fingers trailed up and down her back as he struggled for words.

She squeezed tighter as he spoke.

"I… thank you for not pressing the issue and letting me deal."

She nodded against his chest.

Gibbs picked up the remote and switched on the TV (also switched out with Abby's much larger, newer TV from her apartment). He put it on the local news, listening half heartedly to the weather for the rest of the week. He was aware of every breath she took as she sat cuddled up to his side.

He remembered what it was like with Shannon. They had often cuddled up on the couch after tucking their daughter in for the night. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and pretended that he was cuddled up with Abby because they were together. He pretended that, he could pick her up and carry her to the master bedroom and make love to her like he would if they really were together.

But then Abby stirred, breaking his train of thought, bringing him crashing back to earth. She pulled away slowly, yawning as she stood. She gave his hand a squeeze and mumbled a goodnight before she headed upstairs.

--

With the disappearance of Captain McCauley, the team had been working nearly around the clock in order to find him. Being in charge of classified meant that the navy was hard-pressed to find him before anything could happen – unfortunately they were too late. Gibbs had been on edge all week, snapping at just about everyone. Abby let everything roll off her shoulders; she knew that none of it was personal.

After four 18 hour days, they had finally caught Petty Officer Cole. They were able to detain him on lesser charges, but were confident that once the DNA results were in they could pin murder to him as well.

Gibbs headed down to the lab to check on the progress of the DNA test. He saw Abby shuffling around in the lab, a pained look on her face as she stopped ever few steps to adjust her boots.

"You alright, Abby?"

"Just breaking in some new boots… no pain no gain, right?"

"Breaking them in? Shouldn't they be comfortable when you first put them on?"

Abby shot him an annoyed look. "Gibbs, that's not how things work."

He stayed silent and Abby realized she had snapped rather harshly. She wasn't angry with him, just tired and her feet hurt. "Sorry, I'm just a little tired and my feet hurt. The boots will be fine in a few days."

"The DNA results in yet? That's all we're waiting for."

"Not yet, maybe twenty minutes, thirty max."

"Okay. Have a seat." Gibbs directed her to her desk and waited for her to sit down. He perched on the side of her desk and motioned for her to lift a foot.

"Huh?"

"Foot." He bent forward and lifted her foot to rest on his thigh. He tugged at the zipper along the side of the boot and slid it off, placing it on the floor with a soft thud. He pulled her sock off, resting it on the desk and then firmly pressed his thumb to the center of her foot and pushed upwards until his thumb pressed over the ball of her foot.

"_Oh God..._ Gibbs." Abby slid down her chair a bit, her eyes closed and her head tipped slightly back. If she hadn't been convinced his hands were magic before, she was absolutely positive now. After nearly a week of 18 hour days on her feet, Gibbs hands felt like a little slice of heaven. "I will cook every day for a year if we can make this a regular occurrence."

Gibbs smiled. The way she whisper his name was reward enough, if only she knew. Before he had the chance to answer, the lab doors slid open and Tony strode in.

"Boss, how come you never do that for me?"

"Because you aren't his favorite, that's why." Abby answered. She flashed a small grin but her eyes remained closed, hoping that Tony appearance wouldn't interrupt the relief. Suddenly her machine beeped. She pushed up from her chair with a sigh and walked over to the screen. She stood, her stance slightly slanted with only one boot on, as she examined the results. "Bingo. You've got the right guy." She pressed print and then handed the paper to Gibbs.

He thanked her with a little pinch of her cheek and then was out the door.

Tony was about to follow, but Abby grabbed his arm to stop him. "Tony."

"Yeah?"

"Take me out to dinner this weekend?"

"Well, Abbs… usually a person asks if they can take the other person out, not asks the other person to take the other person out…" Tony thought for a moment, lost in his own explanation. "Well, whatever. Why am I taking you out?"

"I need a hot date."

"Reaaally? Why?"

"I'll explain over dinner, where are we going?"

"Abby, I'm a little concerned. Is everything ok?"

"I just need someone to talk to…"

Tony stepped closer. "Abby… what aren't you telling me?"

"Tony, nothing life threatening, nothing dangerous, I just need my best friend."

"I thought Gibbs was your best friend?"

"Tony!" She punched him lightly in the arm.

"I know, I know… I'll pick you up tomorrow at seven. Wear a dress, I might as well take you somewhere nice."

"Love the enthusiasm, Tony. Makes a girl feel wanted."

Tony flicked at a pigtail and went in search of Gibbs. The sooner they could throw Petty Officer Cole in lock-up, the sooner they could leave.

Friday night Abby had practically passed out the moment they got home. Even though she hadn't been in the field with the team, she had still spent the same amount of time at work, often running between the lab and autopsy.

She managed to fix some toast, despite Gibbs offer of making something more substantial. Afterwards she wished him a good night and headed straight to bed. Abby hadn't realized how tired she was until they had walked in the front door. She wished she had been awake enough to spend a few hours downstairs with him, they hadn't spent much time together lately, but there was no way she'd stay awake.

Gibbs had also been hopeful that she would stay up a few more hours. It was 9pm by the time they had gotten home, and he would've liked nothing more than to curl up on the couch and finish the foot massage he had started. He could still hear his name in the raspy whisper she had used to let him know he touch was welcome. But he could see it in her eyes how tired she was, and he knew she needed sleep.

He spent a few hours cleaning up a bit around the basement; the saw dust had gotten a little out of control – even for him – and then went to bed.

----

TBC….

Love the reviews; keep 'em coming!


	11. Chapter 11

After going to bed so early, Abby was wide awake shortly after five. She padded barefoot down the stairs to the kitchen, detouring by the front door to grab the paper. Gibbs wasn't up yet, so Abby started the coffee and pour herself a bowl of cereal. She yawned and hopped up to the counter top beside the coffee machine to eat while she waited for her first dose of caffeine for the day. She looked forward to her dinner with Tony; it was time that she finally came clean about her feelings for her housemate. She needed someone to talk to and Gibbs obviously wasn't the one.

If she told Gibbs how she felt, Abby was fairly certain that he would say something sweet, let her down gently… so there was no point in going to him about her feelings.

She knew he wasn't dating. The last woman he had been romantically linked with had been Hollis Mann, and well… it had been awhile, so at least there wasn't any competition to worry about. It was a slight relief.

She needed Tony's advice. He had questioned if there was anything going on when she had first moved in with their boss, and if he had questioned then he must've thought there was possibility. She needed to hear his thoughts, even if it was to tell her to move on.

Abby was lost in thought when Gibbs made his way down the stairs; he paused to watch her for a moment. She sat on the counter, cereal bowl in hand, staring down at her spoon deep in thought. He heard the coffee percolating through the filter and the strong smell of coffee hit his nose, urging him forward. He was halfway across the kitchen when she looked up at him and smiled. He knew she wasn't a morning person, but she always made an effort. "Morning."

"Morning."

"Coffee is almost ready." As if on cue, the coffee maker beeped. Abby reached to the cupboard above the machine and pulled out two mugs, pouring a generous amount for the both of them.

Gibbs put two pieces of toast in the toaster and leaned back against the counter across from Abby. "Plans for the day?"

"Not until this evening, hot date." She hopped off the counter to put her bowl in the sink.

The toaster popped and Gibbs put the bread on a plate and pulled out the butter. When he turned back to put the butter away, Abby set a coffee mug next to his plate and then lifted a slice of toast to take a rather large bite out of it and then put it back on his plate. She was back on the counter by the time Gibbs noticed what had happened.

"Hot date, huh?" He looked down at the toast and then up at her with a smile. "What happened here?"

"I dunno." She wiped the crumbs from her lip. "But yes, _super_ hot date. I think you'll be impressed when he picks me up."

"Oh." He didn't have anything else to say to that. He was fairly certain he wouldn't be impressed, but he didn't need her to feel like she couldn't tell him about her dates. The more he knew the better he could keep her safe. He would get the guys name when he picked her up, and then call in a favor from Fornell for a background check.

Abby couldn't help but notice the odd look that crossed his face at the mention of her date. If she allowed herself to completely analyze the look she would almost think that it had been jealousy. But that wasn't possible. She didn't think Gibbs would ever be jealous, hell, ever _had_ been jealous. Plus, as soon as Tony arrived, Gibbs would laugh at the idea. He knew that she and Tony had always been good friends.

They spent the morning together at the dining table trading sections of the newspaper back and forth and drinking their coffee. The rest of the day, until mid-afternoon had been spent cleaning up around the house, running loads of laundry and completing various tasks that had been neglected during their overly-busy work week.

Abby disappeared upstairs in the early evening. She showered and dried her hair. She pulled it up into a elegant pony tail high on the crown of her head and then slipped into a flirty black dress. She went easy on her make-up and pulled on the cross necklace Tony had brought back from a trip he had taken to Germany while Gibbs had been in Mexico and he had been in charge.

At ten to seven she heard a car turn onto Gibbs relatively quiet road, and looking through the window to see Tony's car pull up in front of the house. She was just slipping into her heels when she heard the doorbell and Gibbs heavy footsteps towards the door.

She hurried to get down the stairs in time to see the look on Gibbs face when he saw Tony, but she didn't make it. Instead she heard a very confused Gibbs. "DiNozzo? What are you doing here?"

"Gibbs, I told you I had a hot date." Abby stepped around the corner.

"With DiNozzo?"

Both men looked at her and smiled at the sight. "You look…" They both stumbled.

"Thanks." Abby did a little twirl. "And Tony, you look rather handsome in that suit. Is it new?"

"Yeah, I… Hey, the necklace I bought you." Tony lifted it from her neck to look at it.

If it was possible, Gibbs almost looked panic-stricken. _Are they seeing each other as more than friends?_ He looked from Abby to Tony and back at Abby. He hadn't seen this coming at all. He knew of her short-term fling to McGee, but DiNozzo?

"Alright, boss. I'll have her back in one piece. I swear."

Gibbs nodded and mumbled and excuse to head downstairs.

Abby watched him walk away and then turned to look at Tony who shrugged and then nodded towards the door. "Shall we?"

"We shall." Abby followed Tony out to his car and waited as he politely opened the door. He was quite the ladies man, she had to admit.

"You going to tell me what's going on now, or do I have to wait until we get to the restaurant?"

Abby rolled her eyes.

"I'll take that as a no…"

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_TBC…_

_I love me some reviews… might earn a second chapter today ;) _


	12. Chapter 12

Yay, two posts in a day – on fire! This chapter is just Tony/Abby and their dinner. Enjoy 3

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"The Ritz? Tony!"

"I told you, if I was going to take you out, I might as well do it right. It's been forever since I've been here and the steak – it's amazing."

"I'm paying Tony, I asked you to take me out."

"Abby."

"I'm serious Tony."

"You're a lady, act like one. I brought you here."

Abby followed Tony silently as he walked up and gave his name. "Reservations for DiNozzo." A few minutes later they were led to their table. Despite his womanizer attitude, Tony could be a gentleman when he wanted.

He waited with his questions until the wine had been poured and their dinner had been served. "Alright, spill. What's had you so on edge lately?"

Abby nervously chewed on her lower lip. "I… I'm… I've fallen in love with someone."

Tony sighed. "Abby, I thought we talked this through last time. You and McGoo are better off as friends. You said so yourself. There just wasn't any excitement in your relationship. I know he's got his charms… I think, maybe a few? But anyway, you know as well as I do…" Tony trailed off when Abby shook her head. "Have you told this guy yet?"

"Not exactly…"

Tony thought for a moment and then his eyes went wide with surprise. "Oh Abby… I never thought, I mean, oh wow… I don't even know how to respond to that. Um, well…" He ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know how to say this. I love you Abbs, but more in the-"

Abby rolled her eyes and leaned forward to catch Tony with a sharp head-slap. "This is _not_ about your delusional fantasies here, buster, this is about _me_ and _my_ feelings for Gi..."

"Gibbs?"

There was no use in denying it now so she nodded.

"Really?"

"Tony, this isn't funny."

"I never said it was." He struggled to hold a straight face. "I just… whew, I thought we were about to have a very awkward conversation."

"I love you Tony, but no. This…" She pointed to the two of them. "…would never happen."

"But you and the boss, huh?"

"I just… I don't know, I think I've always felt a little something for him, but now… I live with him, we cook together, he'll usually goes to church with me, I mean, and we've got a whole routine of spending the evenings reading on the couch. It just feels so much like we're in a relationship, but we're not."

"And you love him."

"I think I do."

"You think?"

"Ok, well besides the fact that I find him attractive and strong and…"

"Moving on"

"… I feel like I'm in high school. I get butterflies when he kisses my cheek. Butterflies, Tony. Do I look like a butterflies type of girl?"

Tony tossed his head back in a loud laugh. "This is perfect. Perfect!"

"Tony!"

"No, I mean… it's so… I know there is a movie, I just can't think of it right now." He looked at Abby and then stopped. "Sorry."

"Thanks."

"So what's the issue? You love him, he loves you… that's practically the basis of every romantic comedy out there."

Abby fought the urge to reach across the table and deliver a second head-slap. "That's the thing, Tony. I love him, but he doesn't love me. I mean, I know he cares, but… I'm me."

"Exactly. Abby, I know you aren't blind. He asked you to move in with him. We're talking about Gibbs here. It took, like, three years before I even knew where the man lived. Abby, he's crazy about you."

"When he asked if I wanted to move in, the first thing he said was 'I'm not asking you to move in as my lover'. That doesn't exactly scream 'I love you' now, does it?"

"He was probably just trying to cover his bases, didn't want you to feel uncomfortable. I'm sure he's planning to make his move."

"I don't know."

"What do you plan on doing about it?"

"Nothing, I think. I don't want things to be all hinky between us. That would kill me."

"You should talk to him."

"I can't do that. I know he'd be all 'gentle-Gibbs' and let me down easy, but then he'd never kiss my cheek when I get results in, and things would change. I can't risk that."

"So use your womanly ways, win him over."

"We're talking about Gibbs here."

"True. You could always dye your hair red."

"Helpful, thanks."

"I could always say something. I could always make something up about how you are worried that no one will ever love you, and that I'm worried about you… yeah, okay, a little over the top."

"Please don't say anything."

"I won't, but I think you should. You could be missing out on something good."

"Like you are currently missing out with Ziva?"

"Whoa, turn around. There is nothing between me and Ziva. Nothing."

"Whatever you say, Tony." Abby reached across the table to pat his face lightly.

They chatted a while longer over Gibbs, Tony successfully ignoring the topic of Ziva, before moving on to safe topics; movies, music, the new blond chick in accounting. That's what he loved about Abby, she was more than willing to talk trivial things that the rest of the team quickly tired of. She also was willing to comment on the skirts that Tony always seemed to be chasing.

It was nearly mid-night by the time Tony pulled up in front of Gibbs house. Tony leaned across the center console to pull Abby into a hug and kiss the side of her head. "Since this wasn't a real date, I'm not walking you to the door."

"That's reserved for the ladies whose pants you're trying to get in?"

"Something like that."

"I bet you walk Ziva to the door."

"I do not."

"Ah ha, but you are going out."

Tony grimaced. He should've known better. Abby would always find a way to figure out his thoughts. "Get out. Go make sure the boss isn't passed out by his boat. I see the light in the basement is off, but it's a little early for him to be in bed."

"Night, Tony. Thanks again for dinner."

"Goodnight. See you Monday. Call me if anything, um, changes."

Abby gave Tony a little wave as she shut the car door. She slipped her key into the front door and turned to wave one last time before she disappeared into house.

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TBC…

Reviews = Love


	13. Chapter 13

This is a short chapter, there will probably be a second chapter later on today – your comments have been absolutely wonderful. Thank you so much!

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Monday at work Tony couldn't help but stare at Gibbs from across the squad room. The more he thought about it, he decided he could easily see Abby and the boss as more than friends. He knew they were close – always had been – so that wouldn't be a problem. Abby seemed to be the one person who didn't cower when Gibbs was in one of his 'moods'. While most people, himself included, would go out of their way to avoid Gibbs on a bad day, Abby couldn't seem to tell the difference between a good and bad Gibbs day.

Slowly his thoughts floated to Abby. She had always put a smile on Gibbs' face, well… she put a smile on everyone's face, but getting Gibbs to smile had never been easy.

She was always dancing around her lab. Her ridiculous music, that neither he nor Gibbs or the rest of the team understood, blaring through the speakers at a staggering volume that he was fairly certain would register in space.

He must have drifted off because next thing he knew, Gibbs hand had slammed down in front of him.

"Boss?"

"You got something to say, DiNozzo?"

"Uh, no?"

"You've been staring in my direction all morning. Now, either I've got something on my face that I don't know about, or you've got something to say. Since McGee or Ziva haven't said anything, I assume you have something to say."

"Oh, um, I was just thinking. I didn't mean to stare." Tony looked around for either McGee or Ziva, but they weren't at their desks.

Gibbs gave a slight nod and headed back to his desk. "Abby seemed to have had a good time when you went out this weekend."

Tony did a double take. "Well, uh yeah. It was nice. Good to get out, you know?"

"Uh huh."

"Yeah, well… a nice dinner to relax and chat, you know, no pressure."

"No pressure?"

"Uh…" Tony was a little unsure of where the conversation was headed. "Yeah, Abby and I have been good friends for so long, so it's nice to get out with someone who knows you so well. No trying to be someone you're not."

Gibbs grabbed his cell phone, slipping it in his pocket. It was lunch time and he was headed to the cafeteria. He stopped as he paused in front of Tony's desk. "Be careful with her, DiNozzo."

"I… I will?" Tony watched Gibbs as he waited for the elevator. With Gibbs gone, Tony was away from his desk and headed towards the back elevator in one quick movement. He stepped out of the elevator but hung in the hallway for a few minutes pacing back and forth. Finally he went in search of Abby.

"Abby?"

"Hey Tony!" She greeted him with her usual exuberance, hug included.

"Has Gibbs been down?"

"Uh, no. Should he have been here?"

"No."

"Tony, you've got this look on your face… and I can't quite read it. What's up?"

"What did you say about dinner?"

"Dinner? Oh, dinner on Saturday? I said it was nice, that I had a good time. We didn't talk about it much, why?"

"Well, for starters, he told me to be careful with you."

Abby laughed. "You know how he is, he tells that to everyone. Don't worry. But I'm glad you're here. A friend called, she's opening a club in the beginning of next year. I know it's a bit far in advance, but she's getting the guest list ready so they know in advance how many VIP's and then how many spots for the general public. It's not exactly Gibbs scene. You interested? I don't have to commit, it's just to get an idea."

"Sure. Is it that new place downtown? I know there has been a lot of construction at the old Jazz club."

"Yeah, that's the place."

"Keep reminding me so I don't schedule something."

"Sounds good, now get out. I've got tests to run. Go ask Ziva to go on a date."

"Smooth Abby, smooth."

_----_

_TBC…_

_Reviews = love_


	14. Chapter 14

The first chapter I posted was rather short, so here is a second one today (I'm getting soft, all this posting two chapters in one day). Anyway, enjooooy. Time to start to building up Gibbs and his confidence again…

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It was Saturday afternoon and Abby struggled to push the front door open and then kicked it shut behind her. She staggered into the kitchen, her arms full of shopping bags, where she found Gibbs pulling on his shoes. He stood up to help with all the bags. "Buy me something?"

"Groceries. The milk was chunky this morning. We really need to stay on top of that kind of stuff."

"You're the one that uses milk for cereal, not me."

"Yeah yeah, whatever, I also picked up stuff for hamburgers. Maybe we could make them tomorrow?"

"Sounds good."Gibbs lifted the grocery bags on the counter.

"I spoke to Sister Sarah today, Sister Mary-Sue is sick, sounds like she's got the flu."

"I know, Sister Rosita called and said they needed someone to take her place for the bowling tournament today, asked if I would help out."

"You're bowling on Sister Rosita's team? Gibbs! I'm on Sister Sarah's team. You're bowling against me."

"I know," Gibbs pulled on his jacket and flashed a grin. "Scared to lose?"

Abby shot him a sarcastic smile. "Drive over together? I just need to change…" Abby looked down at her short skirt and shrugged, "…and I'll be ready."

"Sure, hurry. I'll put this stuff away." Gibbs swatted playfully at her hands.

Abby changed with record breaking speed and was back down as Gibbs finished putting away the last of the groceries. "Ready."

Gibbs gave her an appreciative look, her bowling outfit was classic Abby. The blue skirt swished around her legs as she moved, and the pink shirt clung nicely to her curves. She had tied her hair up into a single ponytail with a pink bandanna.

They were greeted in the parking lot by Sister Rosita. "Jethro! So wonderful you could fill in today." She linked her arm through his and patted his arm. "I know you are aware of Abby's exceptional bowling skills, but we have faith you, my dear."

Gibbs looked over his shoulder at Abby as he was led away and gave her a playful wink.

Abby pulled her bowling ball bag out of the backseat and used her hip to shut the door. She followed behind with a smile. She knew Sister Rosita favored Gibbs. After all Abby had told her about him, Sister Rosita had a soft spot for the man that had looked after Abby for so many years without asking anything in return.

The two teams gathered at one end of the bowling alley, claiming two lanes for their informal tournament. Abby and her team gathered. It was Abby, Sisters Sarah, Annie and Margaret against Gibbs, Sisters Rosita, Maggie, and Dorothy. Once their names were typed into the machines, and bowling shoes switched with their regular shoes, Abby sauntered over towards Gibbs. "Just so you know, the losing team buys the winning team dinner."

"Nice to know you'll be buying me dinner, Abbs. I'll try and pick something cheap off the menu."

"Funny Gibbs, funny."

"Charming, too."

It took them all a few frames before they found their flow, but once things were settled everyone seemed to bowl fairly equally.

"You know Gibbs, I think we need a little added competition. I mean, the team competition is good, but… I know you need a little motivation and I know you'd buy me dinner even if you were lucky enough to win."

"I would, would I?"

"Yes, but let's not argue the obvious. You in for a little friendly competition?"

"I'd hate to make you cry, Abigail."

"I'm going to ignore that. Okay, how about loser has to make the hamburgers tomorrow."

"Easy enough, sure why not."

"You've gotta wear my apron when you lose."

"I won't lose, you can wear your own apron."

Abby watched with a smile on her face as Sister Rosita fawned over Gibbs, and tried not to laugh as he soaked it all up. Every time Abby got near, she was shooed away. She saw Gibbs look over at her and then whisper something to Rosita who then laughed and patted his knee affectionately.

When it was finally Rosita's turn to bowl, Abby sat down in the free spot next to Gibbs. "You know, flirt all you want with her, but I hate to say you won't end that date getting laid. It's just not her style."

"Not quite my type, Abbs."

"And what might your type be?"

Gibbs opened his mouth to answer, but Rosita returned. "Jethro, you'd better not let her distract you. It's your turn now."

"Sneaky tactics, Abby. Very sneaky." Gibbs tugged on her pony tail as he stood. Abby shrugged innocently and moved back to her own lane.

The game ended with Abby in one of her trademark happy dances. She had managed to get knock down two more pins than Gibbs had, winning for her team, as well as their mini-bet.

Gibbs glared at her as she danced over to him, nudging his hip with her own. She tugged lightly on his sleeve. "You and you're losing team buying dinner now, and you're making dinner tomorrow night. I'm feeling good."

"Come on." Gibbs' warm hand grasped tightly at the back of her neck as he directed her towards the diner attached to the bowling alley. "I'm hungry."

Abby shivered at the tight hold he had on her neck and stored the feeling away for later. "You know, Gibbs? You kind of bowl like an old man-"

Gibbs cuffed her lightly on the back of the head. "Next time it won't be the back of the head."

His breath warmed her ear and any smartass reply she had melted away.

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TBC…

Reviews = Love!


	15. Chapter 15

Sorry, crappy day. I usually have the chapter posted earlier than this. Oops.

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"Here" Abby held out a frilly pink apron.

"What's this for?"

"It's my apron. You have to wear it while you make me dinner."

"Abby…"

All she had to do was pout and Gibbs was slipping it over his head. There was no way he'd let anyone else see him, but for Abby… he'd do anything.

"Uh, Gibbs. I said you had to cook wearing my apron. I never specified anything else under…"

Almost anything.

Abby laughed at his expression and then sighed. "Alright, alright. Keep your clothes on."

She ended up helping wash the lettuce and slicing the tomatoes while Gibbs dealt with the hamburger patties. Every so often Abby had to turn and watch him in her frilly pink apron. It put a smile on her face that the usual rough and tumble Marine crumbled around her.

She spotted her phone on the dining table and went to grab it. She had nearly found the camera under menu when his hand wrapped around hers and the phone. "No."

"Oh, _Gi-i-ibbs_! Just one photo so I can remember this."

"I would never hear the end of it."

"I wouldn't share it."

"It'll be hard enough with everyone hearing about it. I don't need the photo floating around. You certainly don't need any blackmail material."

"Blackmail!" Abby gasped. "Gibbs, I would never…" Abby drifted off. Her frown turned into a smile when Gibbs kissed her cheek. She was distracted enough that Gibbs was able to slip the phone from her hand.

"Gi-i-ibbs" Her voice reached a new level of shrill.

His smirk told her that she wasn't getting her phone back until he was safely rid of the apron.

As Gibbs worked the hamburger patties on the grill, Abby brought plates and glasses to the table on the back porch.

When they were sat down to eat, Abby uncapped to beers and handed one across the table to Gibbs. "You know, I meant to say something yesterday, but I guess I was so distracted by my _wiiiin…" Abby emphasized the 'win'. "…_ that I forgot. Anyway, Sister Rosita was just so thrilled that you were willing to help out yesterday, even though it was just a bowling thing, it really meant a lot to her. She was thrilled that you agreed. So thanks for that. She speaks very highly of you, you know."

"I had a good time, Abbs. I was happy to help out. And she speaks highly of you as well. She said she enjoyed having such 'young blood' around. Said she thinks you keep her young."

Abby smiled. "They are good company and I like that they don't see me for how I dress, but they see how I act. Not that you can the team judge, it's just that usually people are a little scared of me. It's ok though, I don't mind. I just prove them wrong, but Sister Rosita never seems to notice that I'm not like everyone else."

"Wouldn't want you any other way, Abbs."

"Oh come on, Gibbs. A little less loud, a tad less bouncy…"

"Nope."

"You say that now," Abby smirked. "We'll see about that next time I take my time in getting to some DNA results."

"Oh, Abby."

Since Gibbs had cooked, Abby shooed him from the kitchen so that she could do the dishes. It didn't take long as Gibbs had the habit of cleaning up as he cooked. As predicted he was on the couch, feet up on the coffee table. He had a woodworking magazine on his lap but his head was tilted back and his eyes were closed.

Abby smiled. He always looked so peaceful when he slept. She stepped closer and watched for any signs that he was still awake. When he didn't move she sat beside him, lifting the magazine from his lap and placing it on the coffee table. She observed the smooth skin of his forehead. So often when he was awake, his brow was furrowed as he concentrated on work. Her eyes traveled down the bridge of his nose and then settled on his lower lip. She mentally head-slapped herself as she founded herself wondering what it would be like to nibble his lower lip… she had to stop herself.

Her eyes moved back up to settle on the reading glasses he wore. She loved it when he wore them. Abby was hesitant as she reached out to pull off his reading glasses and then set them on the table.

She knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't help herself as she scooted closer and tucked her legs to the side as she leaned against him. He shifted and wrapped an arm around her, but never woke. Abby had never felt safer than when he held her tight, the rhythmic _thump-thump_ of his heart grounded her. She inhaled deeply, and closed her eyes.

A car engine backfired and Gibbs startled awake. The living room was dark except for the faint glow from the clock on the DVD player which read 2:16. The faint smell of gun powder tickled his nose. He registered the weight against his side and realized his arm was wrapped around a warm body which only could belong to Abby. His heels ached from remaining propped up on the coffee table, but he wasn't ready to give up the close contact with her, by going upstairs to bed.

He pushed her back slightly and twisted his hips so that he could lay back. Abby moved with him, muttering something about her mass spectrometer. Her hips fell to the side, slightly wedging between Gibbs and the back of the couch while she rested her head on his chest. He pushed the pillow behind his head and once he was comfortable he pulled the blanket from the back of the sofa to cover them both.

He woke again at six on the dot. It was Monday and they had to get to work. In trying to disentangle himself from Abby's tight grip, he watched her eyes flutter open. "It's six. You can sleep a while longer while I shower. I'll wake you when I'm out."

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TBC…

Reviews = Love.


	16. Chapter 16

Here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy.

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It had been a long week, with an even longer case. The Tony, McGee and Gibbs had spent Friday to Tuesday in South Carolina chasing after an ex-Marine in connection for murder and drug trafficking (among other things) only for Ziva to get a hit on the BOLO in downtown DC.

Wednesday, Thursday and much of Friday were spent alibi checking, interviewing, interviewing again… Abby was up to her neck in DNA samples and toxicology screens.

It had been a dream come true when Gibbs told them that, although they were previously scheduled to be on-call over the weekend, he had managed to convince the director to pass the duty to another team.

He left his agents to pack up and go home, and headed down to the lab. "Hey Abbs, are you ready to go?"

"Actually, I'm headed out with Tony tonight. We've got some stuff to catch up on."

"Oh. Ok." Gibbs tried his hardest not to sound down. He had looked forward to an evening with Abby. If he was lucky, they would cuddle up on the couch together.

"But I won't be late. I'll see you in a few." Abby had hated the idea of spending so much time alone at Gibbs' house while the team was out of town. Now that she had been living with him for a few months, she had grown accustom to always having someone around. She had even made Ziva come over one night. Ziva had been hesitant at first, a little shy of being in Gibbs' home without him there, but she agreed and they had spent the evening talking about Tony and the feeling that Ziva may or may not have.

"Have fun." Gibbs turned to leave and nearly ran into Tony. He gave his agent a look and then left.

Tony faltered momentarily, unsure of the look he had received but then recovered. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, let me grab my bag." Abby flipped the power switch on a few of her beloved machines, hung her lab coat and grabbed her bag.

Tony drove them to a nearby bar. It was a quiet place, nothing fancy and rather dark for Tony's liking, but Abby loved it and who was he to say no?

Abby grabbed a table while Tony went to the bar to get them each a beer.

"Alright, my lady I want to hear the details. How are things going in the house of Gibbs?"

"Confusing as hell." Abby took a long drink of her beer. "I mean, there is sexual tension, I swear to God there is, but he just doesn't seem interested in crossing that line."

"So cross it for him."

"I don't know. I'm not convinced yet. Part of me thinks that maybe it's just fun flirting, like he feels like he doesn't have to worry about me taking it the wrong way."

"But you are… well, you're not because I'm sure he's head-over-heels for you, but Abby, why do you torture yourself this way?"

"Why do you pine over Ziva from across the squad room?"

"Because she could and would kill me…"

"Weak, DiNozzo. Weak. It's not like Gibbs couldn't squish me with his thumb."

"The only difference is that he'd rather murder a million little puppies than hurt a hair on your head. Ziva… she'd enjoy making me suffer."

"It's because you'd make it enjoyable."

They finished their beers and chatted a while longer and eventually Tony drove her home.

Gibbs was on the couch flipping through woodworking magazine when Abby pushed open the front door.

"Hey." She greeted him with a smile.

He looked up. "Hey."

Abby hung up her coat and then shivered. "Gosh, it's freezing in here. Going on a heat strike?"

His neutral expression faded to a hint of a lopsided grin. "Nah, I guess it is a bit chilly, isn't it?"

"I'll be right back." Abby headed upstairs to change. She pulled on her favorite penguin pajamas and grabbed the down comforter from her bed. Wrapping it around her shoulders, she headed downstairs.

Gibbs heard the commotion as she came down the stairs. "Ok, it isn't _that_ cold, Abbs."

"It is! My toes are ready to fall off." Abby plopped down on the couch beside him. "Whatcha doing?"

Abby had that playful tone in her voice and he knew he wasn't going to get any more reading done. "Reading."

Abby saw a few case files discarded on the coffee table, and then the magazine in his hand. "Ooh." It was against her better judgment, but she took the magazine from his hand and crawled onto his lap, pulling her comforter with her. "In-lay? Varnish? What are we learning about this week?"

Gibbs stiffened slightly, pleading with himself not to let his body betray him as she sat on his lab.

"Oooh…" She flipped the magazine open to the article he had been reading. "Taming handplane-tear-out. Fascinating!"

Gibbs let out a chuckle and felt himself relax; Abby had that effect on him. He was so damn attracted to her, yet she put him at ease.

She cleared her throat and continued reading. "Nothing in handplaning is more frustrating than tear-out – which is when the wood rips up in small chunks instead of being sliced clean away… Wow, Gibbs. Tear-out, I know it would ruin my day."

"Abby… I'm glad you take things seriously."

"But Gibbs, stop ignoring me."

"Ignoring you?" Gibbs looked as shocked as Gibbs would ever look.

Abby's smile softened his look. "Yeah, I didn't see you when you spent all that time on the latest case, and now you sit around reading boring stuff."

"Ah, I see." He wanted to remind her that she had chosen to go out with Tony rather than home with him, but he didn't. Against his better judgment, he gripped her sides causing her to double over with laugher; he knew she was ticklish. Eventually Abby ended up on the floor in front of the couch, gasping for air.

"Not fair. Really, not fair."

This couldn't go any further. He wouldn't be able to control himself. Gibbs leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Go to bed."

"Go to bed?"

"Yeah, go to bed."

"Go to my bed, or go to your bed?" She flashed an innocent look.

"Abby…" _My bed._

"I know, I know. Good night."

------

TBC…

Reviews = Love

The next chapter deals with Halloween… Any guesses as to what Abby will be this year?


	17. Chapter 17

First of two chapters for today… Halloween.

---

Halloween hadn't meant much to Gibbs for many years, the last time Halloween had been celebrated in his house, Kelly had been dressed as her favorite Disney princess. He had walked Kelly and Maddie around the neighborhood as they rang doorbell after doorbell in the great hunt for candy. However, with Abby living in his house, it was impossible to ignore Halloween.

"What are you going to wear for Halloween, Gibbs?"

His look was answer enough.

"You've got to dress up Gibbs, that's half the fun, the other half being the all the candy, of course."

"Not gonna happen, Abbs. Plus, we're on-call that weekend."

Abby didn't fight the urge to roll her eyes. "We're always on-call over Halloween. I swear you do it just to see what I'm wearing."

_Busted_. "Just because we're on-call doesn't mean that we'll get the call."

"Except we always do. I'm headed to Brittany's Halloween party, she's rented out a local club, it's going to be great. Want to be my date? You've got to dress up."

"Maybe next year. Why don't you ask Tony?" He hadn't meant for it to come out so snappy. He softened his voice. "I'm sure he'd love something like that."

"Oh, I think he was planning on taking Ziva to a haunted house his friend is setting up."

"Ziva?"

"Yeah, she's never been to a haunted house before, can you believe it? Plus the party is going to be pretty dark, lots of vampires and stuff. Tony might cry and Ziva would be on edge and likely kill if saw someone lurking in the darkness."

She made some good points. He couldn't see Ziva enjoying herself in a situation like that.

"Anyway, I've got some good ideas for a costume."

"Oh? And what might that be?" His mind wandered to the previous year… _deep breath_, he told himself.

"You'll just have to find a case to find out."

"I can always find a case, Abbs."

"Yeah, except when we have those dumb sexual harassment seminars."

Again, she had a point.

Abby spent the week before Halloween perfecting her costume. She seemed to spend every hour off work figuring out the smallest details, and for some reason watching her, busy with whatever ideas she had in her head, kept Gibbs amused.

Halloween was on a Saturday and Abby was up earlier than usual to pack up her things. Gibbs was already awake, down reading the paper when Abby jumped from the second to the bottom step. She was freshly showered, her hair pulled into a braid. She was holding a bag, which he assumed contained whatever she planned on wearing for the party. He was slightly concerned, it wasn't the largest bag.

"I'm off early, Gibbs. I'm getting ready at a friend's house before the party."

"It's seven-thirty. I thought the party didn't start until seven tonight?"

"Yeah, but we've both got a few last minute things to do. And she lives an hour away."

"Ah. Have fun."

"I will. Oh, but before I forget. You should wear this under your regular shirt. Then, if you get a case, you can rip your shirt off…" Abby tossed a blue t-shirt with the superman logo at Gibbs. "…and be Superman!"

Gibbs lifted the blue shirt and laughed. "I'll think about it."

Abby was out the door in a flash. She took great pride in her costume. She had decided on pin-up legend Bettie Page.

Brittany greeted Abby at the front door and pulled her inside. They didn't get to see each other very often, but when they did they never missed a beat.

"So tell me, how are things going with that fox you are always going on about. You live together now, right?"

"We do live together, but nothing is happening quiet yet. As excited as I am for your party, I can't help but hope that we get called in tonight."

"You'd go to work in your costume?"

"Yeah, why not? I mean, once I get started at work, I'm in a lab coat, but…"

"Alright, let's get changed."

She was quick to change, and then sat patiently as Brittany worked her hair. It was left down, soft and wavy from her hair drying while it was braided. Brittany curled her bangs under with a small curling iron and then stepped back to admire her work.

"Beautiful. Now you do your make-up, I've got to curl my hair." Brittany sat on the bathroom counter curling her hair and then pinning it up while Abby pulled out her supplies.

Leaning in close to the mirror she filled in her eyebrows with a black pencil and then added a thin black line along her lashes. She accentuated her fair skin with blood red lips.

The party was packed, the music was loud and the alcohol was plenty. Abby stayed away from the drink table, and kept her phone in hand. French maids and naughty nurses were everywhere, and Abby was glad that she had chosen something a little more original. Guys were coming up to her right and left, and all though all she could think of was Gibbs, she soaked in the attention.

Shortly past nine her phone started to ring.

She took a deep breath before looking at the caller ID. Gibbs. "Gibbs."

"Abby…"

"I'm about an hour away, but I'll hurry."

"Thanks, Abby. I really didn't want to interrupt your party, but…"

"It's ok, Gibbs." She lowered her voice. "It's not all that great anyway."

He didn't say anything, but Abby was pretty sure she could hear him smile.

Abby made eye contact with Brittany across the room. She waved her cell phone in the air and flashed a big grin.

Brittany rolled her eyes and mouthed 'have a good time'.

----

TBC…

Second chapter up later today…


	18. Chapter 18

Halloween, enjoy!

---

Gibbs and the team each sat at their desks. A marine had been found dead behind a club in Georgetown. They had already collected the body as well as any evidence they had found, and they sat running down his phone records and personal history, so far, no indication as to why anyone would want him dead.

Anticipation was high, as it was every year, to see what Abby would be wearing for Halloween – though they were fairly certain she wouldn't be able to out-do her Marilyn Monroe get-up from the previous year.

Tony was the first to look up when he heard the _ding_ of the elevator. His jaw dropped when he saw Abby step confidently from the elevator and head towards Gibbs' desk.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gibbs saw Tony stiffen. He followed Tony's gaze to see Abby and he could've sworn his brain melted down his spine. Abby stood before them in black satin, high-waisted bottoms and a matching bra. She had lace topped thigh-highs, with a red ribbon woven through the lace. His eyes traveled down her legs to her black heels with an ankle strap and back up. The elbow length black satin gloves were the perfect touch.

"Abby." Tony, Gibbs and McGee all sighed at once, standing as she made her way to the center of the squad room.

Ziva sat back with a small smirk on her face. Only Abby would stroll into work in wearing, well, underwear.

"What?" Abby set her purse and jacket on Gibbs desk, and then placed her hands on her hips. "It's Halloween, guys. Come on."

"Wh- wh- who are you?" Tony stuttered.

Gibbs had to admit, he was wondering the same thing… among other things.

Abby raised her eyebrows and turned to look at Tony. "You don't know…?"

Both Tony and McGee shook their heads in a 'no'.

Ducky rounded the corner before Abby could answer. "Oh, hello Bettie, I've got blood samples and trace from our young marine's clothing."

"Who?" Tony and McGee.

Ducky gave them a confused look. "The dead marine on my table."

"No, no. Abby." They clarified.

"Some investigators the two of you are. Bettie Page, you fools." Ducky turned to Abby. "As I was saying, I've got sample waiting for you, but I'd also like get your opinion on a substance I found."

Abby reached for her purse and jacket, and followed him towards the elevator. "I'm on my way."

Inside the elevator, Abby turned to face the squad room. The three men stood at their desks, staring at her. She gave them a sly wink as the elevator doors closed in front of her.

They swung by autopsy for Ducky to gather the evidence, and then headed to the lab. Ducky gave her a run-down of the tests needed before he headed back in search of his assistant.

Ducky peered back around the corner. "You look lovely, by the way. I was always such a fan of Bettie Page. She was an extraordinary woman."

Abby slipped into her lab coat. She knew her outfit alone was crossing the line, and the director already gave her lots of leeway in the wardrobe department.

Upstairs, Tony, Gibbs and McGee tried to focus, Tony and McGee failing miserably. With Gibbs and Ziva deep in conversation over phone records, both McGee and Tony slowly stood and casually made their way towards the back elevator.

"Sit!" Gibbs barked.

"But uh, boss, Abby could have the tox screen back by now. We really should know…" They went back to their desks.

Gibbs finished his conversation with Ziva and then pushed away from his desk. "I'm going for coffee. You two better not leave your desks."

They knew better. Even if they made it back to their desks in time, Gibbs would know. He was magic like that.

Rather than head to the cafeteria for coffee, Gibbs headed to the 24-hour diner down the street. They had decent coffee which they served to-go, and they had Caf-Pow. He also figured he could use a little fresh air.

The elevator ride down to Abby's lab was intense. The image of her dressed in nothing but a few pieces of satin was burned into his brain. It would be a useful tool for his next shower… as soon as he got home.

He couldn't decide if he was relieved or not that Abby had put on her lab coat. He was slightly distracted at first, as he noticed the back seam on her thigh highs running up the back of her legs, disappearing under the lab coat.

Abby noticed him staring but decided to let him approach. Maybe her costume would work after all.

"Ab-" Gibbs cleared his throat, chasing away any and all inappropriate thoughts left over from the elevator. "Abby. You have anything yet."

"Right on time, boss man." Abby grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the flat screen.

Gibbs fought to stay in control of his thoughts. Abby had left her black gloves on as she had been typing and the satin was soft against the skin of his arm. Abby chatted happily over her finds, but trailed off when she noticed a bit of blue sticking up around the collar of his black polo.

"You did it!"

"Wha- Huh?"

Abby pulled at the collar of his polo to try and look down his shirt. "You're wearing the superman shirt! Gibbs! That's so Halloween of you! Are you going to rip your shirt off? You should totally do it when we solve the case… like, _rooaaar… I'm superman I solved a case_!"

"No, I'm not. Can we focus please?" _Can we focus so I don't rip your lab coat off?_

"Can I rip your shirt off? Come on Gibbs, the whole point of wearing it… is to rip off your other one."

"Abby!" If he didn't get her back on track now, he'd never get back to the case.

Abby wrinkled her nose and went back to the results.

Abby could tell the effect her outfit had on Gibbs, she had to be blind not to, unfortunately, the case threw a kink in her plan. Finally, around four in the morning Gibbs had sent Abby home. There was nothing more that she could do, and everyone else was busy questioning suspects or executing search warrants.

Back in her room, Abby stepped out of her outfit and into her pajamas. A part of her had hoped that it would have been Gibbs removing her costume, but apparently that wasn't going to happen. She was vaguely aware of Gibbs stepping in, a few hours later, to let her know he was home and headed to bed.

Abby woke, willing the alarm clock to die. With only a few hours of sleep, getting up for church wasn't high on her priorities. She had only been asleep a few hours and was debating going back to sleep when a small pile of black fabric on her nightstand caught her eye. She sat up and grabbed the post-it which lay on top of it.

'Superman.'

Suddenly Abby realized it was the polo that Gibbs had been wearing the night before. She held it up and realized it had been torn down the front. She brought the fabric up to her nose and inhaled the familiar scent of sawdust. She left the torn shirt on her bed and grabbed the post-it. Gibbs was standing in the kitchen, a cup of coffee in hand. He was in the blue superman shirt and the slacks he had been wearing when Abby had last seen him.

"Gibbs!"

"What?" He raises an eyebrow.

"You did it! You ripped the shirt… please tell me you did it at work, in front of the others."

Gibbs placed his coffee cup in the sink and gave her a slight smirk. "I don't know what you're talking about." He passed her with a kiss to the cheek. "I just got home, so I'm headed to bed. Tell Rosita I say hello."

Abby watched him disappear up the stairs before shouting after him. "I will…. _Superman!_"

----

TBC…

Reviews = Love


	19. Chapter 19

This is probably my favorite chapter so far. Only one chapter today, but this is double in length, so… basically you are getting two chapters just in one post :D

---

Abby cracked her eyes open to look at the clock beside her bed. It was seven-thirty on Monday morning, Nov 11th, so the team had the day off in observance of Veteran's Day. She snuggled against her pillow, pulling the downy comforter down around her to lock in the warmth. It took nearly a half hour before she was able to roll out of bed.

Gibbs had obviously been up for a while; he sat at the dining table, the newspaper spread before him and his customary cup of hot coffee in hand. Abby shuffled forward, still lost in sleep and poured herself some coffee, sighing as the hot drink warmed her throat.

Gibbs watched as she moved, almost blindly, around the kitchen and then collapsing into a chair at the table. She rested her head down on her arm, and her black hair fell to cover her face. He found it highly amusing that when she woke to her alarm clock for work she was up and going within minutes, yet when she was allowed to wake up on her own, it took awhile for her to come around. He reached forward and tugged lightly on a lock of her hair. "It's only eight, go back to sleep. We've got the day off."

Abby shook her head and reached her hands upward in a stretch, arching her back as she moved. "It's Veteran's Day, and I would like to spend the day with you… unless you had something to do on your own."

Gibbs was touched. He didn't really talk much about the time he was deployed, it was mainly because it was tied closely to his memories of Shannon and Kelly, but leave it to Abby to pick up on his feelings for the day. "I'm headed to Arlington in a bit. I would love for you to join me."

Abby enjoyed the drive to Arlington National Cemetery. It was unusually sunny for November, and that put Abby in a cheerful mood. As protective as she was over her fair skin, she was acutely aware that the sun seemed to bring out the good in just about everyone. People seemed to smile more, and she loved to see people smile.

She linked her arm through Gibbs as they wandered the grounds, but dropped her hold on his arm and let him approach the Gulf War Memorial stone alone. She stood back and watched as he knelt to look over the stone that he knew so well.

She stood silently and waited. When he was done, he turned and walked back to her, a look of sadness in his eyes. Abby reached out and took one of his hands, holding it with both of hers and gave a light squeeze.

"Lieutenant Cameron. He died saving my life. He bled out in my arms. I try not to think of it, but days like today…"Gibbs shook his head and they started walking. "I'm glad you came with me, Abby."

"I'm glad I came, too."

They walked through a few other sections of the cemetery hand in hand until their stomachs growled with hunger.

Abby still had a firm grip on Gibbs' hand as they headed towards the car, and was reluctant to let go as he opened the car door for her.

He drove a few miles to a diner known for its comfort food but most of all, fried chicken. A waitress sauntered up to the table, an apron tied around her plump waist. "Hello sweet things, I'm Shirley, what can I get for you this afternoon?"

Abby gave a wide smile, she liked the woman immediately. "I will have the fried chicken and french fries and a chocolate milkshake, please."

Shirley nodded as she jotted down Abby's order. "And for you, handsome?"

Gibbs ordered a burger, fries and as usual, a coffee.

"Gibbs! When is the last time you had a milkshake? Branch out a little."

Gibbs smiled, but shook his head. "Nah, I haven't had nearly enough coffee yet today. I'll stick with coffee for now."

"I tell you what, darlin'" Shirley patted Abby's shoulder. "I'll give you a little extra and you can share."

"Thank you, Shirley." Abby watched her walk away and then looked at Gibbs. "I like her."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows at her. "You like everyone, Abbs." It was one of the many things he liked about her, she always thought the best of the people she met. He didn't understand how she could have so much faith in humanity, and he certainly didn't understand how she could still be so trusting of others after all the problems she'd had with lab assistants.

She heard her stomach rumble and joked, "Fried chicken… it's already headed to my hips and I haven't even had a bite yet."

"You've nothing to worry about, Abby."

Abby gave a little shrug, but then her eyes lit up as Shirley approached with Gibbs' coffee and her milkshake. Gibbs was given his coffee first, and then Shirley handed Abby a tall glass containing her chocolate milkshake, with whip cream and a cherry on top. Then she sat a large stainless steel cup next to it with the rest of the shake. "Enjoy. I'll be back with your food shortly."

Abby pulled the cherry off her drink. Gibbs watched as she moved it towards her lips, and suddenly found that he had to look away. He had done well the past few weeks, pushing his not-so-innocent thoughts aside (though Halloween had stuck with him, and the shower), but spending the morning hand in hand with Abby and then the bright red cherry matching her lips was a little more than he needed to stay cool.

Abby used her finger to scoop up some whip cream, unaware of the discomfort she was causing Gibbs. She took a sip through the straw before pushing it across the table at Gibbs. "You're missing out. This is delicious!"

She was right. It had been years since he had indulged in a milkshake, mostly because when he was alone it was take-out, and when he went out to dinner it was usually something agency related and the type of places they went weren't exactly of the milkshake sort. He took a second sip and then pushed it back towards Abby, pulling his coffee closer.

"_Kelly! Stop running, sweetie. Wait for mommy._" A young girl ran past their table, heading for the door, her mother close behind her.

Abby watched as the muscles along his jaw and the hand around his coffee tighten as he watched the young girl run by. She reached across the table, her warm fingers wrapping tightly around his wrist.

He watched until the girl was out the door and then his eyes flicked up to Abby. "I'm fine."

"I know."

He was about to open his mouth to reassure her that he was indeed fine, but Shirley appeared with their lunch. Abby pulled her hand back and smiled up at Shirley. "Alright, for the lovely lady we've got our famous fried chicken and fries…" She set the plate in front of Abby. "and a few extra napkins, it can be a bit messy. Here is your burger and fries. Ketchup is already on the table. Is there anything else I can get you?"

"Everything looks great, thanks."

"Alright, you just holler if you need anything. I'll be round in a bit for a refill on your coffee, hun."

Abby rubbed her hands together. "This looks tasty."

They were both silent as they tucked into their meals. Eventually Gibbs spoke. He tilted his head slightly and looked at Abby. "You would've liked her."

Abby looked up, not quite catching his drift.

"Shannon. You would've liked her." He let his gaze fall back to his plate. "And Kelly, you would've liked her too, though she may have tried to steal that hippo of yours. Stuff like that made her laugh."

"What's not to love about a farting hippo?"

A faint smile played on his lips.

"They were beautiful, weren't they?"

"Yeah, yeah they were."

"Maybe I could see a picture? I mean, only if you want to share. I don't want to pry or anything, it's really none of my business, but I just thought maybe…"

"Sure. I'll show you one when we get home."

"I'd like that."

Abby finally finished her chicken and they sat chatting over trivial things; their mutual dislike of the neighbors remodeling and the constant flow of laborers, construction on the interstate and McGee's latest book – thankfully, not based on the team.

"I want to have a party."

"Tonight?"

Abby rolled her eyes. "No… Not this Saturday, but the next, the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I know everyone will probably have plans for the four day weekend, so I was thinking we could have a little early thanksgiving dinner with the team."

Gibbs rolled his eyes. He couldn't, wouldn't say no. "Alright."

"Yay!" Abby clapped. "You won't have to do a thing except be there."

Gibbs finished before Abby and reached over to pick a fry off her plate.

"_Hey_, I was going to eat that."

"You were not."

"No, I wasn't." She picked up one more fry and then pushed the plate towards him. "I'm done. I'll be right back. I need to wash my hands, my fingers are sticky." Abby scooted out of the booth and smiled when she saw Shirley approaching with the coffee.

Shirley sat in Abby's place as she filled up Gibbs' coffee. "She's a sweet thing. You two make a lovely, if a little unconventional, couple."

"We're just friends."

Shirley laughed. "And I work for the President."

"Really, we've worked together for many years, we're just good friends."

Shirley raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so it's a 'hush-hush' sort of thing?" She leaned forward slightly and whispered. "Is it because of her tattoos?"

Gibbs laughed. "No. We just…"He trailed off when he saw Abby headed back towards the table.

Shirley stood so that Abby could sit again. "I love that tattoo on your neck. It's just so fascinating."

"Well thank you."

"Can I get you guys anything else? Dessert, perhaps?"

"I'm full, but Gibbs? You want anything else?" He didn't, so Shirley placed the bill on the table. Gibbs reached for it, but Abby was quicker. "I got it Gibbs."

"Abby, let me pay."

Abby ignored him and dug some cash out of her wallet. She motioned for Shirley to come back over, and handed the bill with the cash back to her. "Keep the change."

"Thank you, sweetheart. You two come back soon, alright?"

"We will."

Later that evening Gibbs led Abby down to the basement. She hopped up to sit on the work bench while he pulled a few things off a shelf to finally pull out a small box. He blew at the fine layer of dust that had settled on the top, and ran a hand lovingly across it. He brought it over and set it beside Abby, hesitating briefly before lifting the lid.

He lifted out a stack of photos and turned to lean back against the bench. Abby scooted closer to him so she could see the photos over his shoulder. Abby hung her arm around Gibbs' neck as she rested her chin on his shoulder and reached for the photo on top, laughing softly. "Now that's not Shannon or Kelly. Is that you?"

"Yeah." He let out a soft chuckle. "She liked that photo of me."

"You were such an adorable little Gibbs. Look at your outfit."She squealed. The photo showed a young boy, no older than five posing in a rather ridiculous sweater. The trousers he was wearing were obviously meant to look nice, but the knees were covered in grass stains.

"Give me that." Gibbs pulled it from her fingers. He tried to sound offended, but failed. "The sweater wasn't my choice." He had hated that sweater, and vaguely remembered 'losing' it in the woods. He flipped through a few more photos until he found one of Shannon and Kelly. The photo had been taken while he was away on duty and set to him in a care package.

Abby traced her fingers lightly over Shannon's face, then over Kelly's. "They were gorgeous."

"Mmhmm." Gibbs flipped to a new photo. This time he was in the photo, a happy family of three.

Abby's heart broke a little as she looked at the happy family on the photograph in front of her. But then her heart filled with warmth as she realized that he trusted her enough to share what the others would likely never see. She blinked back at the tears that were starting to form and she knew she needed to get upstairs.

She pressed her lips to his cheek in a soft kiss and pulled back slightly to whisper against his ear. "I'll leave you to your memories."

Giving his shoulder a squeeze, she hopped down and kept her back towards Gibbs. She waited until she hit the top of the steps to wipe the tears that trailed down her cheeks.

---

TBC…

Thanksgiving is next!


	20. Chapter 20

Just a little team bonding – enjoy!

---

Abby rolled out of bed at five am on the Saturday that Gibbs had agreed to an early Thanksgiving dinner. They had gone grocery shopping the evening before, after work. She had been up until well past midnight working on a pumpkin pie.

She pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. The sweats were rather large and hung low on her hips, but they were comfortable and she had several hours of cooking ahead of her. The guests were invited to an early dinner (or late lunch) at 14:00. Her first task was to get a cherry pie in the oven. She wasn't sure if everyone liked pumpkin, so she wanted to have options.

With the pie in the oven she gathered the ingredients for a Waldorf salad. She was lost in the steady rhythm of chopping and didn't notice Gibbs leaning against the counter by the coffee machine watching as she worked.

Abby set the knife down and wiped her hands on the fabric of her frilling pink apron that she had pulled on.

"Thought there wasn't supposed to be any clothes under that apron, Abbs." Gibbs gave a little smirk, remembering Abby's comment when he had worn the apron after losing a bet.

"Gibbs! You scared me." Abby spun around to face him. She wagged a finger in his face and continued. "You know, had you stepped up to help, I might have been willing to strip, but since you were content to just stand back and watch, I shall remain fully clothed."

"That's not fair. When you first brought up this dinner party you said I didn't have to do anything. I carried a lot of groceries yesterday."

"I'm still keeping my clothes on." Abby turned back to the salad.

Gibbs stepped up beside her and nudged her with his hip. "Even if I help?"

"Yeah." She handed him a potato peeler and nodded towards a large pile of potatoes and flashed a playful smile. "Those all need to be peeled."

They fell into an easy conversation as they prepared the meal. They worked seamlessly, moving around each other in the kitchen.

An hour before the team was due to arrive, Gibbs sent Abby up-stairs to shower and change. With Abby up in the shower, Gibbs set the table. It had been years since he had dug out his mothers' fine china. His mind drifted back to when it had been used for special occasions when he was a child. After every use his mother would inspect every piece to be sure nothing had chipped. He would listen as his father teased her, and he remembered thinking that one day he would have someone to tease like that.

After showering and pulling on the outfit she had planned, Abby headed downstairs. Gibbs was standing by the dining table, plate in hand, lost in thought.

Abby took the plate from his hand. She had never seen them before and her first instinct was that they had belonged to Shannon. "These are beautiful. Were they…"

"They belonged to my mother. We used them for special occasions and holidays when I was growing up."

Abby was about to say something, but the doorbell cut her off. "I'll get it."

Gibbs watched her hurry to the door. "Tony! Ziva! Come in." Abby wrapped them each in a tight hug before they fully stepped inside.

"Hey babe, this is for you." Tony handed Abby a black rose before stepping in a sniffing the air. "I think I know what I'm thankful for this year. You and your cooking."

Ziva laughed and stepped past them to bring the bottle of wine that they had brought to the kitchen. Abby was the one woman she didn't mind Tony flirting with. In the beginning of their maybe-relationship she had made it clear that she wasn't fond of his play-boy attitude with every woman he came across, though he had to keep it up if they were going to keep their relationship quiet. But with Abby, she knew it was nothing but two friends having fun, and she was beginning to suspect that there was something between Abby and Gibbs, though she had yet to find any proof. She would question Tony again on the subject later.

The doorbell rang again and Abby welcomed McGee inside. Ducky wasn't far behind, Jimmy had been unable to make it, and soon they were all seated around the Gibbs dining table. Both Ducky and Gibbs sat at either end of the table with Tony and Abby on one side and Ziva and McGee seated opposite.

Conversation was light and jovial as they ate, the only brief uncomfortable silence when Tony asked why the director hadn't been invited.

"What? I was just asking. It's not that I want him here."

"I know it's been a while, but I'm still bitter over the fact that he split the team up. That was the longest four months of my life."Abby shrugged and took a sip of wine.

The others agreed and then the topic was dropped.

Gibbs sat back and watched the team. His team. His family. Ducky was giving Ziva the extended version of the history of Thanksgiving while Tony and McGee fought over the last roll until Abby reached and grabbed the roll from the basket, taking a large bite out of it. The guys were dumbfounded until Abby laughed and got up to get more rolls from the kitchen.

_This was how a family holiday is supposed to be_, Gibbs thought. It had been years, and he had nearly forgotten. Holidays with his ex-wives usually consisted of dinner at an over-priced restaurant or at his in-laws where everyone ate in silence.

Gibbs enjoyed the ruckus created by Tony and McGee as they each reached for the same piece of meat, or the salad bowl. Abby's trademark pigtails swung as she laughed at McGee when he dripped gravy down the front of his shirt. Everyone laughed as Tony recalled the stories of Thanksgiving growing up. He had been forced to sit at the children's table, located in another room, with his cousins. The best part of Thanksgiving for him had been listening to the hired help as they compared secrets they had heard from the drunken adults. The best story had been that Aunt Michelle really should have been Uncle Mike… though he didn't quite understand what that had meant until a few years later.

Gibbs was lost in one of Ducky's stories when he felt Abby's hand cover his. "You ok?"

Gibbs gave her a questioning look. "Yeah, why?"

"I know you aren't exactly chatty, but you just seemed overly quiet. I just wanted to make sure that you were ok. All this… it isn't too much, is it?"

_Leave it to Abby to worry_. "I'm fine. I just enjoy listening to everyone so relaxed."

"Ok."

Abby pulled her hand back sooner than Gibbs would've liked. He had meant what he said though. Being around everyone outside of work, where no cases were keeping them busy, was something he vowed to do more often. It was good to see the team without the constant strain of death and destruction they often saw at work.

----

TBC…

Reviews = love.

Lemme know what you think. Full steam Gibbs/Abby ahead ;)


	21. Chapter 21

Hope the mothers out there are having a wonderful mother's day :)

Here begins the Gaaaaabby….

----

Abby paced her bedroom, her suitcase open on her bed. She had originally been excited at the idea of two weeks back with her family in New Orleans, but as the time to leave grew near, she was having second thoughts. The idea of leaving Gibbs over Christmas and New Years tugged at her heart strings.

"Careful, you'll wear down the hardwood." Gibbs was leaning casually in the doorway, watching her as she moved back and forth, lost in thought.

"Maybe I should stay here… I can go visit any time."

"Abby, you've planned this trip for eight months. It's been nearly two years since you've been home for more than a few days. Come on, you've got to start packing. Ziva will be here in an hour to take you to the airport." Gibbs would've preferred to take her to the airport himself, but he had to leave shortly for a meeting with the director.

"I know, but Gibbs… Christmas time, what are you going to do?" She avoided his eyes, and continued to move across her room.

"Same thing I always do, I'll spend Christmas Eve with Ducky and his mother."

Abby didn't look convinced. "I don't know… two weeks it a long time. I mean, you've got a temp in the lab. I don't think a temp will even last that long."

"Abby." Gibbs grabbed her shoulders to stop her from pacing. "I'll be fine. The team will be fine. Your lab will be fine. You will be fine."

"But…"

"Go Abby. I'm a tough old Marine. I can take care of myself and I'll watch out for your lab."

"Someone has got to watch out for you, and no offense, but what do you know about my lab?"

"Start packing or I'll do it for you."

Abby tried to stare him down, but he didn't give in. "Fine, but just in case, I'll leave Bert with you so you'll have someone to talk to if you get lonely."

"Pack."

Abby saluted and then turned to her suitcase. It didn't take much time to pack clothes and the Christmas presents she had purchased for her family, as well as the neatly wrapped present Gibbs had told her she'd better wait until Christmas to open – he knew she was easily tempted. She had left a present for Gibbs under the small Christmas tree she had set up in the corner of the living room. Gibbs had protested, but she firmly reminded that he had asked her to move and told her to feel at home. A few days after she had decorated the tree she had found a few added ornaments from Gibbs past.

She tucked her toiletry bag into the suitcase and then stood back. _Good enough._

Suddenly Gibbs appeared in the doorway again. "Ziva is almost here. You finished?"

"Yeah." Abby sat on top of her suitcase to hold it down as she pulled the zipper around.

Gibbs carried the suitcase down the stairs to set by the front door. The only had to wait a few minutes until Ziva knocked at the front door. "Hello Abby. Are you ready to go?"

"I… I think so."

Ziva could easily sense that there had been things left unsaid between both Abby and Gibbs. As Ziva had gotten closer to Tony she had nearly convinced him to come completely clean about his knowledge of Abby's feelings for Gibbs and everyone knew how Gibbs felt about Abby.

"I will take this out to the car." Ziva grabbed the suitcase and excused herself.

Abby threw her arms around Gibbs' neck in a tight hug. "I'll call you once I get in."

Gibbs returned the hug until Abby pulled away. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. Gently he placed it in her hand, wrapping her fingers around it so that she could feel it, but not see what it was. "Be safe, Abbs. I'll see you when you get back."

He cupped her cheeks in his hands, her face was tilted up towards his… _it would be so easy to just kiss her_, he thought. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead instead, and then sent her out to the car where Ziva was waiting.

Abby was at the car before she uncurled her fingers to see what he had put in her hands.

His dog tags.

Abby turned to look back at the front door but it had already closed. She examined them, tracing her finger over his information inscribed on the tags. She had asked about them before, but until Stephanie had been involved in a case, Gibbs had thought they had been lost. She knew he had been grateful to get them back. She slipped the chain around her neck before opening the car door and sliding in the passenger seat.

"Ready?" Ziva gave her a small smile.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

Abby had a quick layover in Memphis and then was on to New Orleans. Gibbs had been right, she had been looking forward to spending time with her family for quite some time. It had been too long since she was home, but work kept her busy.

Her parents and brother were waiting in the arrival hall and she ran to them, dropping her bags so she could sign more easily.

Her brother pulled the car around and Abby settled into the back seat beside her mother. Before they got far, Abby pulled her cell phone out and dialed Gibbs number at work.

"Yeah, Gibbs." He answered.

"Has the temp quit yet?"

He chuckled and her heart melted a little.

"Because if he has, too bad. You're shit out of luck. I'm in New Orleans now."

"Did you have a good flight?"

"I did, but did you know they totally raised the prices of those little alcohol bottles?"

"Heartbreaking."

"I know."

"Okay Abbs, I've got to head up to MTAC. The others say hello."

"Oh, ok." Abby looked down and fingered the tags hanging from her neck, unsure of what exactly to say. "Gibbs?"

"Yeah?"

She knew a simple 'thanks' wasn't enough, but she wasn't sure how to word what she felt. "Thanks."

She heard him hold his breath for a moment and she figured he knew what she was talking about. "Have a good time. I'll talk to you soon."

---

TBC…

Next Up: Christmas/New Years (though the holidays are spent apart – very Gabby'ish – and no, he isn't going to surprise her).

Your reviews are lovely, keep 'em coming!


	22. Chapter 22

This is mainly a series of phone calls/texts. Should be easy enough to figure out. Enjoy!

**

"Hello?" Gibbs sounded groggy.

"Oh, Gibbs. Were you asleep? Are you ok? I wasn't sure if I should call or not. I didn't mean to wake you up." It was mid-night and she figured he'd be down working on his boat. She was surprised to find that he had been asleep.

"Nah, it's ok." Gibbs realized he had fallen asleep under his boat for the second night in a row. "How are things? Good to be home?"

"Things are good. I've been working with my mom in the kitchen the past two days. We've got a lot of things to prepare for the large Sciuto family Christmas."

"Sounds fun." Gibbs smiled. He could imagine Abby busy in the kitchen and his mind brought up the image of her in her apron.

"It is, but I'm exhausted." As if to prove a point, Abby yawned. "Tomorrow, Christmas Eve, we're going to a friend's house for dinner and then to mid-night mass. Then the whole family is coming over on Christmas."

"You haven't opened your Christmas present yet, have you?"

"No… my mom took it from me when I was unpacking. She said she didn't trust me to hold on to it until then."

"Good. She's a smart woman."

"Come on, I could control myself."

"Get some sleep, Abbs. I'll talk to you again soon."

**

Gibbs! I'll try to call later, but if not have a wonderful Christmas Eve with Ducky -A

**

As usual, Gibbs spent Christmas Eve with Ducky and his mother. They went out to dinner, and then returned to the Mallard residence where Gibbs started a fire in the fireplace and Ducky made them tea. Mrs. Mallard retired to her room early, leaving Ducky and Gibbs to tell stories of days past.

Ducky startled when the phone rang. "Who could be calling at this hour?" He picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Merry Christmas, Ducky!"

"Abigail, my dear, a very Merry Christmas to you as well."

Gibbs watched as Ducky spoke awhile longer with Abby. She was obviously filling him in on the activities of the day based on his commentary.

"Why yes, he is… one moment." Ducky turned to Gibbs. "You have been asked for."

Gibbs stood and walked around the sofa to take the phone from Ducky. "Hey Abbs, Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Gibbs!"

He laughed at her enthusiasm. "Aren't you at a dinner party?"

"Yeah, a couple my parents are good friends with. I've just stepped in the bathroom a moment to give you guys a call."

"Abby!"

"What? First of all, they can't hear me… they're deaf too. Second, it's Christmas they won't mind that I needed to call you."

"Uh huh."

They chatted a few moments longer before Gibbs said goodbye. After he hung up, he returned to the spot on the sofa and picked up his tea. He tried to fight a smile, and Ducky gave him a knowing look.

**

Gibbs phone beeped as he was getting into bed.

He flipped it open to read the text.

Merry Christmas, Gibbs. Love, Abby.

Abby knew he didn't know how to reply to a text, and to him it made it all the more special. She wasn't looking for some sappy response; she was sending the messages just to put a smile on his face.

**

Gibbs woke early on Christmas morning even though it was the one day he wished he could sleep in. He lay in bed thinking of how excited Kelly had been, running in to jump into bed between him and Shannon. It seemed like Christmas morning was the one day a year that she would gladly wake before her parents.

Finally he dragged himself out of bed. As much as he wanted to will the day away, he knew it wouldn't happen. Bert was resting on the dining table, and as he passed by he gave the stuffed hippo a squeeze. It didn't solve all this problems, but the hippo made him think of Abby and it put the beginning of a smile on his face. Before he settled down with the newspaper and a cup of coffee he went to pick the present that Abby had left for him. There were a few other presents under the tree from other people, but he was most interested in what Abby had left for him.

He slid a finger under the seam and ripped through the paper. He lifted the lid of the box and smiled. There was a framed photo of him and Abby from when they had bowled against each other. He was pretending to strangle her, but Abby was smiling brightly at the camera. He looked at himself in the photo, it wasn't surprising that he was smiling too, but his smile wasn't directed at the camera, it was at Abby. Beneath the frame there was a black polo shirt, the same as the one he had ripped on Halloween. When he looked closer he saw a small skull and cross bones stitched where the polo logo normally was.

Abby woke early on Christmas as she had every year as long as she could remember. She wrapped blanket around her shoulder and made her way through the darkened house to the Christmas tree where her mother had set out the Christmas presents the night before. She searched the pile until she found the familiar wrapping that Gibbs had used.

She carried it over to the couch and sat down. She flipped on a small lamp and took her time un-wrapping the gift. When she finally pulled the paper away, she brought a hand up to cover her mouth. It was a jewelry box. The sides were carved with fine details and her name was elegantly etched across the top.

Abby never heard her mom approach, but looked up when she felt someone sit beside her.

'Is that from Gibbs?'

Abby ran her hands over the top and nodded.

'It's beautiful. He made it?'

'He did.' It was no wonder his boat hadn't progressed much, he had spent a fair amount of time in the basement, but every time she went down to the basement she thought the boat looked the same.

'He loves you.'

Abby smiled up at her mom and signed. 'I think he might.'

**

Hi Gibbs – just a hello. I'm headed out with some friends for the day. Talk 2 U later. -A

**

"Hello?" Abby had been unable to open her eyes to check the caller ID.

"A bit early for you to be asleep, you ok?"

A smile spread across her lips and Abby ducked her head under the covers. "Gibbs. It was a busy day with the cousins."

"Go back to sleep, I'll call you in the morning."

"No. I'm awake. I want to talk to you."

Gibbs smiled. It was nice to feel wanted, even if it was just for a little conversation. "You still having a good time."

"Mmhmm."

"Why do you sound so funny? So quiet?"

"I'm in bed, Gibbs."

"Oh is there someone…"

"Gibbs! I am in my bed. Alone. I'm just under the covers, that's all. And this bed isn't nearly as comfortable as I remember."

"Poor you."

"Do I get a back massage when I get back?"

"Probably not." Gibbs teased. They both knew the real answer was 'probably, yes.'

"And will you make sure my bed is comfy."

"My bed is comfy." Gibbs couldn't resist.

"But how would I know if your bed is comfy? I haven't gotten the chance to sleep in it." If Gibbs wanted to play, Abby would play.

"Trust me…"

"_Gi-i-bbs_." His heart melted at the way she drew out his name. "You know me, as a scientist, it's my duty to test out these kinds of things before making any assumptions."

"Well my gut tells me that my bed is perfectly comfortable, and you said yourself, never question the gut."

"Hmm… we'll have to see about that when I get back."

**

Gibbs- I come home soon. Make sure my lab is in one piece, ok? Miss you!

**

New Years Eve Gibbs plopped down on the couch, beer in hand, to watch the ball drop. He didn't quite understand the excitement of standing among so many people in Times Square, but he watched anyway. He wished Abby had been back, he smiled at the thought of her curled up with him to watch the ball drop. But then again, if she was back there was no way she would agree to spend New Years in the quiet of the house. She would be at some wild party, maybe in Times Square, so he would likely be spending the evening alone no matter where she was.

The light from the TV flickered across his face and he listened as the crowd started the countdown.

_10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… HAPPY NEW YEA-_

Gibbs' phone beeped. Although he normally hated when it beeped, as it meant he had received a text message and he had yet to figure out the whole 'reply' aspect, but since Abby had been texting him, he learned to love it. He flipped his phone open and pressed the button to read the 'one new message'.

Gibbs! No new year's eve is complete without a kiss. I'd call but it's really loud. Happy New Year! See you tomorrow. *kiss*

Gibbs read the message a few times and snapped his phone shut, a shit-eating grin appearing on his face.

----

TBC…

Up next: Abby returns and… poor Gibbs.

Your reviews have been awesome and insightful. Keep 'em coming!


	23. Chapter 23

Abby's back!

---

Gibbs paced the arrival hall, and looked at his watch. It was late; Abby's first flight had been delayed and she ended up spending seven hours at the Memphis airport when she missed her connection.

A steady stream of people exited security and eventually he spotted Abby. She didn't spot him right away, she looked beyond exhausted, though that was likely more a result of her partying the night before rather than the long day of traveling.

She gave a lazy smile when she saw him, and walked right into his arms.

Her soft southern drawl, which seemed to reappear after each time she went home, edged out as she spoke. "As happy as I am to see you...and seeing as how normally I would run and jump into your arms....I hope you can take a rain check on the running and jumping...I just need to see a bed." She leaned against his chest, letting him wrap her in a hug as she pressed her face against him.

"My bed?" Gibbs couldn't resist.

"I'd love to...but there would be no fun in that...I'd pass out as soon as I lay down. I couldn't give a proper analysis."

"Come on, let's get you home." Gibbs wrapped an arm around her shoulder and directed her towards baggage claim. He couldn't help but notice that under the scarf she had wrapped around her neck, she was wearing his dog tags.

Abby dozed off on the car ride home. It was nearly one am when Gibbs pulled into the drive. Abby followed behind Gibbs as he carried her suitcase from the car, up to the front door and then up to her room. When he set the bag down Abby moved to wrap her arms around him, burying her face against his neck and inhaling deeply.

Gibbs ran a hand through her hair and down her back, glad to have her back in the house.

"Goodnight Gibbs."

"Night, Abbs."

A day after Abby returned from Louisiana, Abby was waiting for Tony to pick her up. It was the grand opening of her friends club, and she had scored two VIP tickets.

Gibbs peeked into the bathroom where Abby was leaning over the counter to apply her make-up. She had slept late and hadn't been downstairs at all, and he heard her get out of the shower nearly an hour ago. "Going somewhere?"

"Yeah, Tony will be here shortly. A friend of mine is opening a club in Georgetown, and she gave us VIP tickets, but we're going early to grab a late lunch and then help make sure everything is ready for the public opening." Abby pulled the mascara wand through her lashes one last time and then looked to Gibbs. "You have plans for the evening?"

"Uh, no." He did, and his plans had involved dinner reservations for the two of them at her favorite restaurant, but he could always reschedule.

Gibbs left her to finish getting ready. He was sitting on the couch reading the news paper when Abby finally appeared at the base of the steps. She was dressed in tight black jeans and a red silky shirt. Her hair was pulled up in two small buns.

He noticed she had shopping bag in her hand and recognized the store name as a famous lingerie store in New Orleans – she had mentioned the store before.

"What's in the bag?"

"Oh, um, just some things for Tony."

"Can't really say I see Tony fitting into anything from there."

Abby laughed. "Oh Gibbs, it's not for Tony to wear, it's just for Tony." She saw Tony's car pull up outside. "Gotta go, Gibbs. I'll be back later."

Gibbs watched her go. When the door shut behind her he slammed his fist on the table.

"Tony!" Abby leaned across the center console to hug her friend. "I've missed you."

"Missed you too, Abby. Did you get what I asked for?"

Abby held up the bag and smiled. "I sure did." She waited until they were seated at the restaurant before handing him the bag.

Tony grinned as he dug through the bag. "Did you try them on? I mean come on, honestly." The palm of her hand connected with the back of his head, rivaling the force of one of Gibbs' slaps. "Yeah… didn't think so, stupid idea." Absentmindedly rubbing the back of his head, Tony decided to switch topics. "So, how was it, being away for two weeks? Did you guys confess your love over the phone?"

Abby laughed. "Not quite, but we talked almost every day. It was nice, and he made me a beautiful jewelry box for Christmas. You should see it, it's amazing."

"Ok, by high school definition, you guys are so dating."

"Shut up, Tony. How are you and Ziva?"

"Well, I had you bring these back, didn't I? We've been taking it slow, but I've got big plans for Valentine's Day."

"Tony! That's a little over a month away."

"I know, I need the time. You going to finally do something to let Gibbs know how you feel?"

"I think so… we'll see. We haven't really had any time to even talk since I got back rather late last night. He was really sweet and flirty over the phone and stuff, so I think I'll see how things go over the next few days, and sure… maybe I'll 'cross that line' for him." Suddenly Abby frowned. "Oh God, I sound like… like a loser. I've never been like this Tony, Gibbs is making me weak."

"You aren't weak, Abby. You're in love."

"I am, and it's a little scary. I know its Gibbs, but…"

"You aren't scared of him, are you?"

"God no, it's Gibbs."

"Everything will work out fine, I promise."

"I hope so."

They finished their meal and then headed down the street towards the club. They handed over their tickets and went inside. With everything in order, the party had started early. Abby introduced Tony to the people that she knew and then they found a table to claim.

Tony was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, something Abby didn't see him in very often. She thought the shirt highlighted his form, and silently cursed herself for not forcing Ziva to go with them.

Within an hour the club was packed with guests, and after a quick intro from the DJ, the music blared and the drinks were poured. After a drink each, they decided on staying away from the alcohol so that they didn't have to worry about a cab.

As the excitement of a new place died down, more and more people started dancing.

"May I?" Tony held out his hand, and nodded over his shoulder towards the dance floor.

"Oh, you may." They started with a slower song, but soon the music picked up. It wasn't quite Abby's top choice of music, but she allowed herself to find the beat and move. As more and more people joined the dance floor, Abby found herself pressed closer and closer to Tony.

They decided to go with the flow, grinding against one another until Abby finally collapsed into his arms in a fit of giggles. "This is fun."

Tony led her back to a table and ordered them each a Red Bull.

----

*ducks from flying objects*

TBC…

Might be persuaded to post again today… ;)


	24. Chapter 24

Alright, two posts in one day… enjoy and let me know what you think!!

----

"Looks like it's just me and the damn boat again." Gibbs looked at the hippo still perched on his seat in the kitchen. He was about to walk away, but after a second thought he grabbed the hippo and tucking him under his arm, headed downstairs.

He didn't switch on the light in the basement, there was no need. Enough light from the street lamp passed through the window for him to locate the bottle he was after.

Gibbs was beyond confused; He and Abby had spent a majority of her two weeks away on the phone together. Though their conversation had remained light, there had either been a tender loving undertone, or they had been flirting and it had given him a shred of hope. All the talk about his bed had him hoping that they would end up there by the time the night was over. He didn't want to rush anything, but he couldn't describe the need he felt when it came to Abby.

They hadn't had the chance to talk the night before, she had arrived rather late, and by the time they got home she was practically asleep on her feet. Now DiNozzo had showed up to take Abby out on a date? He knew they were close friends, but when they went out they were always going to some sports bar, or the latest action flick that Tony had wanted to see. And that bag from the lingerie store? With things for Tony? That could only mean one thing. He poured a generous amount of bourbon in his coffee cup taking a large sip, followed by another and then another, ignoring the burn.

"What the hell did I miss?"

The hippo stared back from where Gibbs had placed him on the boat.

He tipped the bottle again, refilling his cup.

"I really thought I had a chance, I really did." He was glad he hadn't said anything about it, it was one thing to feel like a fool, it was something else to sound like one.

He couldn't understand why Abby would choose someone like DiNozzo. In all honesty, he couldn't see her ever falling for someone like himself, but Tony? And Tony… he was a religious follower of the rules, but Abby had no problem side stepping rule 12, her well-known, but brief romance with McGee had proven that.

He stood against the work bench as he refilled his cup for the third time. He looked to his boat, but the lines blurred a bit, so he pushed aside thoughts of working on it.

He knew he should be happy for Abby if she truly found something in Tony. All he ever wanted was for her to be happy.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and then pushed his finger and thumb out over his brows, hoping to alleviate the dull ache in his head. When that didn't work he let out a low growl and swept his arm across the work bench, sending a selection of tools skittering across the floor.

He wasn't sure how long he was down in the basement, but at some point he had had enough and headed up to the kitchen. He stood by the coffee maker, unsure if he actually wanted coffee or not when he heard some sort of commotion at the front door.

He listened for a minute before curiosity got the best of him and he went and threw open the door. His eyes darkened at the sight of Tony holding Abby, his lips pressed to the side of her head. They both looked sweaty, and Abby's hair had obviously been down and then put back up in a hurry. "What the…? What the hell are you doing?"

Tony jerked back automatically, and Abby looked from Tony to Gibbs and back to Tony. Almost immediately the smell of alcohol washed over them and Abby then realized that he was drunk. "In the house, Gibbs. _Now."_

"What?" He sounded irritated and slightly confused at the harsh tone she had used.

"House. Get inside."She gave him a slight shove and he stepped a few feet inside. "I'm sorry Tony. I don't know what his problem is. I had fun tonight. I'll call you tomorrow and let you know how things go."

"You sure? He seems rather upset. I mean, I hate to get in his way while he's like this, but are you sure you want to be alone with him?"

"He wouldn't hurt me, I'm fine. Go home."

"Maybe tomorrow, when he's sober… make sure I've still got a job on Monday?"

"You have a job. Good night, Tony." Abby waved him away. She took a deep breath before turning around and stepping inside. Gibbs stood leaning against the hallway, but turned to walk away when Abby shut the door.

"Gibbs!"She took a few quick steps to catch up with him. She grabbed his arm, spinning him to face her. "Don't walk away from me. What the _hell _was that about? What has gotten in to you? That was Tony, for God sakes!"

Gibbs shook his arm free. "Yeah, exactly. Tony. _Your date!_"

When he tried to walk away again, Abby blocked his path. "And…?"

He ran a hand through his hair, looking everywhere but at Abby. "And I'd thought you'd have a little more decency, you know…"His eyes finally met hers. "…tell me you two were sleeping together first."

Abby felt like she had been slapped; hard. She knew he was drunk, but it didn't stop the tears from welling up and spilling over her cheeks.

Realizing he had caused her to cry, Gibbs back peddled. "Abby, I… I didn't…"He was cut off by the sharp sting of her hand slapping his face.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I don't love Tony! I love y…" The words were out before she could stop herself.

---

TBC…

Love your reviews!!


	25. Chapter 25

Haha, not happy with the way I left off the last chapter, are we?

---

"_What the hell is wrong with you? I don't love Tony! I love y…" The words were out before she could stop herself._

"Don't, Abby." Her words had hit him like a second slap. "Don't say something you don't mean."

"You think I'm going to say something like 'I love you' because I think you'll forget it later? Gibbs, I'm not like that…"Abby closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She near hysterical, but she knew there was no getting through to him until he sobered up and had some sleep. "Go to bed, Gibbs." She tried not to snap.

He sighed and headed upstairs, her words ringing in his ears. Abby took a few deep breaths before heading to the kitchen. She poured a glass of water and grabbed two aspirin from the cabinet and headed upstairs. She had heard his door slam shut, so she knew where he was. She didn't knock, she just went in. He was already in bed, though not asleep. He lay under the covers staring up at the ceiling, figuring that if he ignored her she'd go away. Instead, Abby went to sit on the edge of the bed and held the aspirin and glass of water out for him.

"Go on, take it. It'll help with the headache."

Gibbs propped himself up on his elbow and took the pills and then the water. He set the glass back on the bedside table and lay back, closing his eyes.

Abby didn't expect him to say anything, but the fact that he was somewhat ignoring her still hurt. The placed her hand on the center of his chest and then curled her fingers into a familiar sign. "I meant what I said." She didn't give him time to respond, she didn't want to hear anything, so instead she headed across the hall to her own room. She gathered a large t-shirt, underwear and a pair of cotton shorts and headed to the bathroom for a shower. Her long evening of dancing with Tony had left her sweaty, and she needed the hot spray of water to wash away her frustrations.

She stood under the hot stream of water for nearly an hour. She thought back over the past few months, and how ever since she had disclosed her feelings about Gibbs to Tony and how they had started going out on a regular basis for a little stress relief, Gibbs had pulled away a little. She didn't understand how he could be so irritated with the idea of her and Tony together – sure he had rule 12, but she didn't really believe in that rule. If anything, she would've thought he would've been relieved that she had picked someone he trusted, rather than some random guy from the clubs she frequented with her non-work friends. But it didn't matter, she wasn't in love with Tony.

Her alarm clock went off sooner than she'd like, but it was Sunday. She had church and then bowling with sister Rosita and the others. She dressed for church and then headed down for a quick cup of coffee and bowl of cereal. Gibbs wasn't up yet, she didn't expect him to be. She finished her cereal and then moved to her favorite spot on the kitchen counter beside the coffee maker. She still had a few minutes before she needed to leave, so she poured a bit more coffee in her cup. Hearing movement overhead she pulled out a second coffee cup and filled it.

Gibbs woke, the feeling of regret immediately washing over him. He couldn't believe he had shouted at her the night before, accusing her of sleeping with DiNozzo, when it reality it was her choice… though she had denied it, claimed she was in love with him instead. As he pulled a clean t-shirt over his head he remembered the feeling of her hand as she slapped him across the face.

He found her sitting on the counter and as he approached she pushed a coffee cup towards him. Picking up the cup he looked at the dark liquid as he spoke. "Abby, I…"

"I can't and won't take back what I said. I do love you Gibbs, and if you don't feel the same, it's okay. I just don't want things to be weird between us. It might be better if I move out, though."

"Abby no, I was such a bastard last night. I do…"

Abby was too frustrated to deal with the situation and she wasn't sure she wanted to hear what Gibbs had to say. "Don't Gibbs. I have to go otherwise I'll be late for church. I've got practice in the afternoon with the sisters afterwards, so I don't know what time I'll be back."

Gibbs watched as she grabbed her purse and keys and left. He knew he screwed up… big time. How _could I have been so stupid?_ He asked himself over and over again. He knew Abby would never say something, especially something so serious if she didn't mean it… and then the fact that he told her not to say it. He shook his head. _What a mess_.

Gibbs made a quick bite to eat and then headed up for a much needed shower; even he recognized that he reeked of alcohol.

He knew he needed to fix things, after his shower he paced the living room. He looked at his watch. The Sunday service was just getting out. Abby would hangout for an hour and then she would head to the bowling alley for their practice. It would be a few hours after that before she was home again. He couldn't wait that long.

Gibbs waited until he was sure that Abby, Sister Rosita and the others were already at the bowling alley before he drove there himself. As he pulled into the parking lot he saw Sister Rosita stepping inside. He parked and quickly headed inside, bringing a bouquet of black roses with him. He knew black roses wouldn't fix the mess he'd made, but they were a start. It took a quick scan of the all the lanes before he saw the group of nuns, but he immediately noted that Abby was not with them.

"Jethro!" Sister Rosita noticed him and waved him over. "We missed you at church this morning."

"I know. I… I had a rough night. Is Abby here?"

"No, she left right after the service ended. She said something about being tired and going home. She didn't come home?"

"Oh… I uh, I must have missed her."

"Is everything ok?"

"It… I don't know." Sister Rosita motioned for him to take a seat and once he did she sat beside him. "I assumed something I shouldn't have, and I made a huge deal… she's angry with me, and has every right. I'm angry at myself." He couldn't help but open up to the older woman.

"Abby cares for you very much. Whatever it was, I'm sure that it will blow over. Abby isn't the type to hold a grudge, especially with someone like you."

Gibbs hung his head. "I don't know."

"Abby has spoken so highly of you through the years, and you know how she is such a good judge of character. And ever since she moved in with you, we've heard nothing but praise."

"Thanks." Gibbs offered a half smile. "I love her, I really do. I'd never do anything to hurt her purposely."

"You are the best thing that's happened to that darling in a very long time. It's rather obvious how much you love her. Now, I don't want you to feel like she has betrayed any confidence you have in her, but she's told me about your late wife and daughter."

"Oh..?"

"I don't mean to tell you that we sit and talk about you every Sunday, but she can tell when you hurt. She knows that you don't want to talk about it, she hurts for you so she comes to us to talk."

"She does? Lately I shared a bit more about them, but I didn't realize it was upsetting her."

"No, no. It isn't upsetting her. She wants to know about them. But it's painful for you, I understand that and she understands as well. She doesn't want to upset you by letting you see her sad, so that's why she comes to us. Not because she doesn't want to know about them."

"I want her to know, but it's painful. I'm trying to let her in."

"She told us. Said you showed her some photos. She said she felt so blessed that you let her in."

"If I want this to work, I need to tell her when my heart aches for them. That was the reason all my other relationships failed, I couldn't or didn't want to let them in. I want… I need to let her in."

Rosita sat back and watched as the realization washed over him. She had noticed that Abby seemed down, but she hadn't been distraught. She had no fear that Abby and Jethro would figure things out and be just fine.

---

TBC…


	26. Chapter 26

Just a heads up… this'll be around 40/41 chapters so… it's not quite over yet.

Aaaand, the return of Shirley!

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Abby decided that she didn't feel much like bowling, so she let sister Rosita know, and then went to her car. She drove around for awhile before she found herself parking at the same diner where she and Gibbs had gone on Veteran's Day.

She pushed the door open and waited behind a couple who was seated first. She was startled when a warm hand gripped her arm.

"Well, if it isn't the lovely lady with the spider web on her neck. Where is the attractive man you had with you?"

Abby smiled and watched as Shirley scanned the crowd. "He isn't here."

"He's meetin' you here?"

"No. I'm here alone."

Shirley wrinkled a brow and crossed her arms over her chest. "You ok?"

Abby shifted from one foot to the other trying to come up an explanation. "I uh, yeah, I'm ok."

"No you aren't, I can tell." Shirley looked at the watch on her wrist. "I'm off in 10 minutes, how about I get you situated at a table and then I'll join you when I'm off. You can tell me what's wrong."

Abby followed Shirley towards the back of the diner and slid into a booth by the window. She ordered a club sandwich and soda.

Shirley returned with two sandwiches and two sodas and sat down across from her. "Now, you tell Shirley what's bothering you."

"It's a somewhat long story."

"I've got nothing but today's episode of the Young and the Restless on TiVo waiting for me at home. I've got the time. Start with the beginning."

"Gibbs and I, he's the guy that I was here with last time…" Abby clarified. "…have been good friends ever since I started working with him, about nine years ago. He isn't always the easiest person to get along with, but he's been through a lot in life so he deserves to be cut a little slack."

"What kind of things?"

"Well, I…"

"Come on honey, you can tell me. This conversation won't go beyond here. It's part of the story, I won't force you to share, but it will help me understand."Shirley took a large bite of her sandwich and looked up at Abby, waiting for her to continue.

"He lost his wife and daughter while he was away on duty. It broke him. He's been married and divorced three times since."

"You're looking to fix him?"

"No. I would give anything to take away the pain that I know he feels on a daily basis, to bring back his family, but I can't. I love him the way he is. There is nothing to fix."

"So you just watch over him?"

"I try."

"I thought you two were 'just friends'?"

"We are. We were… I don't know anymore."

"But you love him?"

Abby nodded. "I do."

"Continue with the story."

"Anyway, so he's always just been there for me, helping me when I need help. He keeps me safe, and for that I will always be thankful."

"He watches over you?"

"He does. Then last summer I got sick with the flu. I stayed with him for a week and then, because my apartment complex was always a mess, shitty landlord, and stuff, he asked if I wanted to move in. We've been living together ever since. Things have been going great, we've always been flirtatious, but the last couple months… I don't know. I thought I was getting somewhere, like, maybe he could love me the same way I love him."

"But he does love you."

"I thought he might. I was away for the past two weeks, home with my family in New Orleans over Christmas, and we spoke nearly nightly. I got home late on Friday, my flight was delayed. I had hope to spend the evening with him, but… anyway, then yesterday my friend was opening a new club down in Georgetown, and I had planned to go with Tony, he's on Gibbs team at work. Tony's been helping me figure out what exactly I feel for Gibbs, and I've been helping Tony. He's head-over-heels for another agent on Gibbs team. So, after talking to Tony and telling him about all of my phone conversations with Gibbs while I was away, he convinced me that I should talk to Gibbs. You know, get everything out in the open."

Abby paused to take a sip of her soda before continuing.

"So I was saying goodnight to Tony out front and suddenly Gibbs throws open the door, obviously upset. I got him in the house and suddenly he's accusing me of sleeping with Tony, and how I should have the decency to let him know."

"Oh, poor man, he's jealous."

"He was drunk."

"Drunk because he was jealous, I'm sure. Men are like that. For him, it was probably a 'drink now, think later' type of situation."

"I don't know… he was just… just so angry. And then I let it slip out that I love him."

Shirley gasped and clasped her hands together. "What did he say?"

"That I shouldn't say things I don't mean. But I meant it, I swear."

"Of course you did, darling. And this was last night?"

Abby nodded.

"What about this morning? Have you talked about it?"

This time Abby shook her head. "No. I was just so frustrated and I had to get to church so I said we'd talk when I got home."

"He's probably wondering where you are. You need to talk to him when he's sober."

"No. I had bowling practice with the nuns today, but I told them I didn't feel like bowling, so I went for a drive and then ended up here instead."

"You bowl with nuns?"

Abby laughed. "Yeah, and they're really good. Sister Rosita rarely bowls under 175. And Sister Margaret you should see…"

Shirley watched as Abby chatted on about the bowling nuns. She could easily see why Gibbs would want her in his life. She was cheerful and loving, and she obviously had a knack for putting a smile on everyone's face.

Abby caught on to Shirley's gaze. "What?"

"He loves you, you know that, right?"

"You think so?"

"Honey, if I had someone to look at me the way he was looking at you when you were both here, I wouldn't be going home to the Young and the Restless on TiVo."

----

TBC….

Reviews = Love

Poor Gibbs is worried about where she is… might be a two chapter day. We shall see…


	27. Chapter 27

No Gibbs in the last one, so here is a short addition. I might even get 28 up today. The 'talk' is coming up.

You guys are so spoiled with all the updates!

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Gibbs left Rosita and the others with a new hope, though it was slightly dashed as he pulled onto his street and saw that Abby's car was not out front; she had yet to come home. He knew she had been upset, the fact that she had slapped him meant that she was more than upset. He had made her cry, he had hurt her – maybe not physically, but emotionally, and that was worse. He had seen Abby cry before, but he had never been the cause. She had cried because of him when he left for Mexico, but he hadn't stuck around long enough to actually see the tears. He hated himself a little for that. He should've been man enough to see the destruction he had left in his wake.

He set the flowers on the kitchen counter and started the coffee maker before he dug his cell phone from his pocket and dialed her number. A string of expletives flowed as he realized her phone was switched off. It went right to voice mail, but he decided against leaving a message. He had so many things to say to her, but in a voice mail wasn't the way she deserved to hear it. He paced the kitchen as he waited for the coffee to finish and then took the mug to stand by the front windows to watch for her car.

He was able to wait another ten minutes before he pulled out his cell and tried again. Her phone was still off, so he dialed the one number he figured he'd be able to find her at.

"Boss?" Tony was somewhat shocked to see Gibbs' on his caller ID.

"Is Abby with you?"

"Uh, no. Why? What happened? Gibbs, what'd you do last night?"

"None of your business, DiNozzo. Just call me if she shows up at your place."

"It is my business if my best friend is missing because you did something to upset her."

"DiNozzo…" It was a low growl that normally would've had Tony running for the hills, but since Abby was involved he wasn't going to back down.

"Gibbs! What happened?"

"Nothing happened, we just… we talked, and I assumed things that weren't true. She left for church this morning and then said she would be bowling. I went to apologize, and she wasn't with the nuns, she told them she was going home. She hasn't come back yet."

"Abby doesn't run away from her problems, what did you do?"

"Drop it, DiNozzo."

"Gibbs! She's my best friend, what did you _do_?"

Gibbs sighed. As much as it didn't involve Tony, it did. "I… I messed up, big time. I'm worried."

Tony took a deep breath, he was stubborn, but his boss was worse. He knew he'd get nowhere. "You tried calling her?"

Gibbs was ready to reach through the phone and slap him. "Just call me if she shows up, okay?"

"Yeah, you do the same."

Gibbs hung up and threw his phone against the door, watching as it shattered. He paced for another thirty minutes before he went to the kitchen. He picked up the landline phone and was halfway through dialing Ducky's number when he heard the front door open.

He rushed around the corner and stopped when he saw Abby stepping cautiously over the pieces of phone on the floor.

"What happened?" Abby bent down to pick up the pieces and then set them beside her purse on the table beside the door.

"Abby…" Gibbs covered the distance between them quickly, pulling her against his chest in a tight hug. "… I was so worried."

-----

TBC…


	28. Chapter 28

_Three chapters today…. Don't get used to it ;)_

_-----_

"_Abby…" Gibbs covered the distance between them quickly, pulling her against his chest in a tight hug. "… I was so worried."_

Abby didn't even try to pull away, his hold was tight and she knew she couldn't, even if she wanted to. "Worried?" She mumbled against his shirt. "Why?"

"You said you were going to church and then bowling. I went to find you at the bowling alley to apologize for being such a bastard last night, and sister Rosita said you had gone home. I was worried that something had happened, or…" Gibbs pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

Abby pulled away so she could look up and meet his eyes. "Gibbs, it doesn't matter how frustrated I am. I wouldn't just leave like that. I wouldn't do that to you. I'll always come back. I just didn't feel like bowling, so I went for a drive and then grabbed a bite to eat."

"I tried calling."

"My phone was off and I didn't really feel like talking. I just needed some time to think, that's all."

Gibbs looked and sounded defeated. "Can we talk now?"

Abby was unsettled by the tone of voice he'd used, she hadn't heard anything like it. She felt his arms loosen and she pulled away. She needed a few minute to process the days' events. Shirley's words of wisdom echoed in her ears and a few minutes to center sounded like a good idea. "Yeah, let's talk. But let me go change out of my church clothes. I'll be back down in a few."

"You want some coffee?"

Abby was already up a few steps, but she stopped and turned to face him. "Yeah, coffee would be good." She was sure to add a little smile for his benefit. Even if he had been such a bastard the night before, she knew he would beat himself up enough. She didn't need to add to his misery.

Abby closed the bedroom door behind her and sat on the edge of her bed. She scooted up towards the head of her bead and ran her fingers over the jewelry box that Gibbs had made for her. She had placed it on her bedside table, his dog tags tucked safely inside. She lifted the chain from the box and traced her finger over his personal information, she knew the details by heart, but it was comforting to hold the tags in her hand. _'He loves you, you know that, right?' _Shirley's words repeated over and over again in her head.

Abby's thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock at her door.

"Yeah?"

Gibbs didn't open the door; she could hear him sigh softly. "It's just been awhile, I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Abby's eyes darted to the alarm clock and realized she had been upstairs for nearly twenty minutes. "Yeah, two minutes and I'll be down."

"Okay."

It took a few seconds, but then she heard Gibbs footsteps as he headed down the stairs. She changed quickly, pulling on a pair of black and red flannel pajama pants and black tank top. She pulled her hair down and rubbed her scalp, easing the tension from having her hair in pigtails all day. She headed downstairs, unsure of what to say. She had so much to say, yet she was at a loss, unsure of what to start with.

She was quiet going down the steps, avoiding the second to last step that always squeaked. Gibbs was pacing in the living room and she stopped to watch him. His fists were clenched tightly and though his reflection in the window, she could see his jaw was tensed.

Under normal circumstances, if she saw him so tensed, she would wrap her arms around him in a tight hug to let him know that whatever was bothering him, it would be ok. But this time, she wasn't sure what was going through his mind, so she thought it would be better to keep her distance until he relaxed. She cleared her throat and he spun around to face her.

"Sorry I took so long. I… I got distracted."

"It's ok, Abbs." His face relaxed and he stepped towards the couch.

Abby watched as he sat in his usual spot on the sofa. She followed him over, sitting slightly further away than she normally would, tucking her legs under as she sat.

"Gibbs I-"

"Abby-"

Abby stopped and looked at him; she hadn't expected him to talk.

"Go ahead, you go first."

"Gibbs I… I never thought you'd think…" Abby's hands flew, signing as she spoke.

"Hold it, Abbs… slow down." Gibbs reached over and grasped her hands lightly. "Hands in lap, no signing and speaking at the same time… I can't follow both conversations at once." He settled her hands in her lap.

"You can at work."

"That's different."

"Oh." Abby shrugged, quickly signing a quick apology before placing her hands back on her lap. After two weeks in New Orleans signing with her family, it had been an unconscious habit to sign as she spoke. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I never thought you'd actually think I'd do anything with Tony. I mean, okay, I called him my hot date, but that's because I thought it was obvious that we weren't anything but friends. It's Tony, for God sakes." Abby held up her hand to stop Gibbs when he opened his mouth to comment.

"I do love him, but like a brother. God, Gibbs. I never meant for you to think… I meant what I said last night."

"Come here, Abbs." Gibbs held an arm out in an open invitation for her to move closer.

----

TBC….

The 'talk' has begun… tune in tomorrow for more!

Reviews = love and make me smile!


	29. Chapter 29

And the conversation continues….

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"_Come here, Abbs." Gibbs held an arm out in an open invitation for her to move closer._

Abby hesitated before scooting closer, finally letting him pull her in to rest against him. She figured this would be the beginning of his gentle let down, he hadn't been jealous of her dating Tony, he had been upset that he thought she was breaking rule 12… Abby closed her eyes as she leaned in to Gibbs. _How could I have been so stupid_, Abby mentally slapped herself.

"I was a bastard last night, Abby. I had no right to yell at you like that, and I apologize. I should have known to ask you before I started throwing all sorts of accusations around." He pressed a soft kiss against the top of her head before continuing. "I was jealous. I don't do well with sharing my feelings, Abby, and I had thought I had a chance… the way things had been going the past few weeks… I thought we were getting closer and I… I thought we could spend the weekend together, but then you were running off with Tony …"

Gibbs tightened his hold on Abby, and his voice dropped to a whisper. "I was jealous because I love you, and I thought you had picked Tony over me."

Abby bit her lower lip to keep from letting out a cheer. She'd been waiting years for that confession. She wriggled free of his grasp and turned to face him. Reaching out she cupped his face, but then drew her fingers back as Gibbs fought to control the slight wince.

She hadn't left a bruise, but she had slapped him with force the night before and the skin was still tender.

Abby ghosted her fingers lightly over his skin and offered a small smile. "Sorry."

"I deserved it."

"No…" She leaned forward to place a soft kiss on his cheek. "No you didn't."

"Abby." He sighed and his warm breath tickled her neck.

Abby pulled back a few inches to look at him. "What?"

He shook his head, he hadn't meant anything by saying her name, it had just been a response to her tender kiss. He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ears and studied her face. He loved the sharp line of her jaw, the curve of her lips. He reached out and cupped her face, drawing his thumb along her cheek bone, smiling as Abby's eye lids fluttered and then close. He slid his hand further back, to wrap his fingers around the back of her neck and pull her towards him.

He touched his lips to hers, almost timidly at first.

Abby was slightly taken aback; she had always expected that his kiss would be as demanding as he was. It took her half a moment to respond, and then she was leaning in to him, pressing into the kiss.

Gibbs indulged in the kiss until he felt his body start to respond. "Abby… Abby, wait."

Abby sat back, unsure of why he was asking her to stop.

"Abby, we need to take this slow. I want to do this right. I refuse to mess this up."

Abby's mouth curled into a soft smile. "We're making out, Gibbs. Not going to screw anything up." She leaned forward again and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. "But okay, we'll take it slow." She motioned for him to scoot a little further down towards the arm of the couch. Once he was comfortable with his legs stretched along the length of the couch. Abby moved to sit between his legs and leaning back against him, resting her head back on his shoulder.

Gibbs wrapped his arms around her as she lay back and pressed his nose into her hair, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo.

"I can't believe you thought I was sleeping with Tony."

"You brought lingerie back from New Orleans."

"Mmm… it was for Tony… to give to Ziva. I'm not supposed to say anything, but it's obviously an important factor, they've been, ah… seeing each other, for a few months, now."

"They have?" Gibbs was surprised. He knew there had been some sort of tension between the two, but never did he think that anything would actually happen. Or, if it did, he figured it would be a one-time thing.

"Yeah, and that's why Tony and I have been spending a lot of time together lately. We both needed someone to vent to. He's like a brother and best friend rolled into one. I could never sleep with him. Ever."

"What did you need to vent about?"

"You."

"Me?"

Abby pulled his dog tags out from where they had been hidden under her tank top and fiddled idly with them as she spoke. "The first thing you said when you asked me to move in was that you weren't asking me to move in and be your lover. I don't know why I moved in with you. I'm glad I did, but it was hard, feeling the way I did and thinking that you didn't feel the same."

"I said that because I didn't want you to think I was some old guy hoping for some action by asking you to move in…"Gibbs trailed off and kissed the top of her head. Abby was about to say something, but kept quiet when Gibbs spoke again. His voice was low, a soft whisper against her hair. "Abby, I do love you. Don't leave."

"You were a jackass last night, and I needed some space today."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I really am. I just… I'd be lost without you here. I don't think I could even imagine not having you around anymore."

"I promise not to leave, if you promise not to leave."

"Where would I go, Abby?" He watched her fingers turn the metal tags over and over. He wanted to voice how it made him feel to see something that meant so much to him safe around her neck, but he wasn't sure how.

"Mexico."

"I won't go to Mexico for anything other than a quick visit to Franks. And if I do that, I'll take you with me." He pressed a reassuring kiss to her temple.

"A vacation to Mexico…" Abby thought it over. "I could deal with that. How is Franks, by the way?"

Gibbs frowned slightly. He didn't like that Mike had taken such an interest in Abby. Though they weren't often in contact with one another, they were always interested in how the other was doing. "Drunk."

Abby shook with laughter against his chest. "Yes, I suppose he is."

"Oh." Gibbs reached for the cordless phone which lay on the coffee table. "You might want to give Tony a call. I called him earlier to see if you were there. I promised to let him know when you got in."

"Maybe you should call him."

"Abby."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll do it." Abby dialed Tony's number. She wasn't surprised when he answered on the first ring. "Hey Tony."

"Abby! Where the hell were you? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. I just went for a drive and then grabbed a bite to eat."

"Everything ok, there? Gibbs' sober?"

"Tony." It was a slight warning. "Everything is fine here. We uh, we worked things out." Abby looked up and over her shoulder and smiled at Gibbs. "We're golden."

"Really? Like, worked everything out?"

"Yeah."

Abby could hear as Tony tried to hide a laugh.

"Alright Tony, I'll see you tomorrow."

"I still have a job?"

"Of course you still have a job."

"He better not be late." Gibbs growled.

"Bye Tony." Abby hung up and handed the phone to Gibbs to put it back on the coffee table. "So, since we're 'taking it slow', what exactly does that mean?"

"I dunno, Abbs. Maybe we could discuss it over dinner tomorrow? I'd like to take you somewhere nice."

"We could eat at McDonalds for all I care, as long as it's with you."

Gibbs kissed her temple again. "With me."

Abby stifled a yawn and reached for the blanket on the back of the couch. Abby shifted and moved so that she was on her side, wedged between the back of the couch and Gibbs. Abby tried not to dig her elbow into the center of his chest as she wiggled up to kiss him before settling again, resting her head on his chest.

"Night, Gibbs." She knew that if they were to get up Gibbs would send her to her own room to sleep, and that was out of the question. "I love you."

Gibbs tucked the blanket around the both of them. He brushed her bangs back and kissed her forehead. "Love you too, Abbs."

----

TBC…


	30. Chapter 30

Hope everyone was satisfied with the kiss… hope it was worth waiting until ch 29 for it.

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Gibbs woke at six am without an alarm. He had been waking at six every morning for years; an alarm was no longer necessary. It took a few moments to register the warm weight on his chest. Abby stirred, her fingers gripping his shirt tighter as he shifted below her.

"Abby…" He ran his fingers through her hair a few times. "Abby, it's time to wake up."

Abby slowly pushed herself off of Gibbs and sat on the edge of the couch, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes.

Gibbs watched her as she sat, her shoulders slouched forward, her head dipped down towards her chest. Her eyes were closed and he could tell she was bordering sleep again.

"Come on Abby, in the shower."

Her eyes stayed closed, but a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "You'll join me?"

Gibbs was already on his feet so he stooped down to kiss the top of her head. "Not today, I'll fix us some breakfast. Is an omelet okay?"

Abby nodded as she blindly made her way towards the stairs. Feeling much more awake after her shower she skipped into the kitchen just as Gibbs was placing two plates on the table. She stopped beside him, placing a timid kiss on his cheek, still a little unsure of how things were supposed to work between them. She moved towards her spot at the table, but Gibbs caught her arm and pulled her back. In a single swift motion he dropped her arm, his hand gripping the back of her neck to pull her in for a kiss.

He pulled back, leaving Abby standing before him with her eyes closed and smile on her face.

"Good morning."

"Yeah, it is a good morning, isn't it?"

"It is. Eat up." Gibbs nodded to the plate he had set down for her. Abby sat and Gibbs went to grab them each a fork.

Gibbs finished quickly and headed upstairs for a shower. By the time he was showered and dressed, Abby had pulled her hair up into her trademark pigtails and was ready to go.

Just as the elevator doors in the lobby at NCIS were closing a hand slipped between and the doors opened again. Abby grinned when Tony stepped inside. When the doors closed, Abby stepped forward in the elevator leaving Gibbs and Tony standing slightly behind her. She folded her arms across her chest and refused to speak to either of them.

Both men received the silent signal that Abby thought they needed to make nice. Gibbs and Tony eyed each other as the elevator moved towards the squad room.

The elevator dinged when it reached its final destination. The doors slid open and Abby stepped out, waving at both Ziva and McGee as she made her way to the back elevator.

Gibbs sighed and reached out his hand towards Tony. Tony offered a small smile before taking Gibbs hand. They shook hands and felt at ease. Tony was tempted to make some sort of smart-ass comment about Gibbs and Abby, but the he was reminded that it wasn't the smartest idea when Gibbs hand connected with the back of his head.

"Don't even think about it, DiNozzo."

"Wouldn't dream of it, boss."

Gibbs was lost in thought, wondering what Abby was doing down in her lab, when his phone rang. He answered it with his standard 'Gibbs' and listened.

Gibbs slammed down his phone and pulled his gun and badge from their drawer. "Gear up, dead Marine." Just as Gibbs was stepping out from around his desk his phone rang again.

He listened and then hung up with a sigh. "DiNozzo, you take McGee to the park on 34th street. David you're with me."

"Boss?"

"A second body was found at a playground on Elm Street."

"They related?"

"The cops seem to think so. Both shot in the head, hands tied behind their backs and both Marines."

By dinner time they had three bodies in autopsy with Ducky, with the promise of more to come. Each of the victims had been shot in the head at close range, their hands tied behind their backs and then had been found at either parks or playgrounds around D.C. The note they had found attached to the third victim promised three more dead Marines the next day.

Gibbs looked at his watch. It was nearly seven, and he had made reservations for dinner with Abby at eight. There was no way they would make it, so he called to cancel. The team had found a few weak connections between the three victims, but nothing that stood out.

The team trekked down to Abby's lab to see what she had come up with. Music spilled from her speakers as usual as she moved about her lab. She heard the electric doors whoosh open and looked up at the team, smiling when Gibbs placed a well deserved Caf-Pow! beside her keyboard. "Hey guys, I'm swamped with all the evidence, I've got DNA running, but I won't have anything for a few hours still. I did find a few fibers, this…" Abby held up a slide and then pointed at her computer screen. "… Looks like it's some sort of nylon blend. If you can bring me a nylon rope, I could match it."

Gibbs stood behind her, his hands planted firmly on her shoulders. "Alright, Abbs. Give us a call when the DNA pops up." He waited until the rest of the team filed out before kissing the side of her neck. "Looks like dinner will have to wait."

"It's alright, Gibbs." Abby pressed a soft kiss against one of his hands on her shoulder before stepping away from the computer and heading towards the refrigerator. She opened the doors, pulled out a packaged sandwich from the cafeteria and tossed it to him. "Here, eat this."

"Abby, I'm not…"

"Eat it, Gibbs. You need to eat."

Gibbs rolled his eyes, but flashed the sign for 'I love you' as he left the lab, sandwich in hand.

At two am, Abby had finally run the various DNA samples through their databases. The only matches she had come up with were those of the victims. The fourth DNA sample she had been able to pull from the second victim's body wasn't a match for anything. All they knew was that it was male.

Gibbs had told her to go home, to get some rest. Abby nodded, mumbling about going home shortly. She waited until Gibbs was out of her lab before she pulled out her futon and shut off the lights.

Forty-five minutes later, Tony, McGee and Ziva were all sleeping soundly at their desks. Gibbs was nearly ready to drift off, when he realized that he had yet to see Abby pass through the squad room on her way to the parking garage.

He headed back to her lab, frowning when he saw the lights were off. He almost turned around, but the soft glow from the fridge showed a foot sticking out from behind Abby's desk. His heart stalled as he ran forward, all his worst fears flashing in his mind. He gripped the side of her desk and exhaled quietly when he saw Abby stretched out on her futon, sound asleep.

He debated heading back up to his desk, but instead slowly lowered himself to sit beside where her head was resting on a pillow. He pressed his back against the wall and pulled her to rest over his lap.

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TBC…

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	31. Chapter 31

Abby woke to Gibbs fingers pulling softly through her hair. "You were supposed to go home, Abby."

"I know, but…" There was no point in explaining; instead she let Gibbs help her to her feet.

"Tonight you go home and sleep, ok? Yesterday was long enough, you need your sleep. I don't want you getting sick again."

Abby nodded before making the rounds in her lab, switching on all her machines. Gibbs let her know that he was headed up to wake his agents.

As promised they were called out to three more bodies, all killed in the same way. Much of the day was spent agonizing over the evidence they had and the lack of any substantial leads. Shortly after seven that evening, Abby paused to sniff the air.

Spinning around, Abby greeted Gibbs with a big smile. "McDonalds?"

"I'm afraid we won't be able to get out for that dinner I promised until after this case is finished, but it doesn't mean I don't have time to grab a quick bite with you down in the lab."

Abby grinned. "I like it." She cleared the evidence table and told Gibbs to wait a moment before pulling the food out. Abby went to one of the closets in her office and returned with an armful of supplies. She spread a piece of red crushed velvet over the table and then set up a few candles while Gibbs pulled two chairs over.

She lit the last candle and stepped back to admire her work. "Perfect."

Gibbs had swung by the cafeteria and snagged two paper plates. He set the food out on the plates and then discarded the wrappers.

"No happy meal, Gibbs? No toy?" Abby teased.

"Do a good job on this case and you can have a toy." Gibbs smirked.

"Really? Gibbs, I-"

Abby was cut off as Tony strode through the door and stopped, staring wide-eyed at them.

"DiNozzo." Gibbs warned.

Abby was a tad less harsh. "Better be important, we're on a date here."

"I was, uh, going to ask if you wanted a pizza. We're placing an order upstairs." Tony motioned back towards the elevator and shifted uncomfortably.

Abby just raised an eyebrow.

"But, I can see you are already eating so I'll take that as a no. That's a no, right?"

"Tony!"

"Right, that's a no. I'll leave you to your date, then." Tony slowly back out of the lab, fighting the urge to say something he shouldn't, and headed upstairs.

Gibbs sighed and looked at Abby. "I'm sure everyone knows about us by now…"

"Nah, only Tony knows. Ziva might have been able to force him to tell, but he wouldn't spread anything around. He values his job and life too much."

"…but nothing can change here at work, Abbs."

"Nothing has changed, Gibbs. Even if there was nothing between us, you'd still have dinner with me after a long day. That's the great thing about us, Gibbs. I think we've been dating longer than either of us realized."

"We probably have been." Gibbs nodded. She was right; he had spent much more time with her than he had with his three ex-wives together. "You've been the most constant in my life, you know that right?"

Abby gave a little nod. "Getting a little sappy Gibbs."

"Maybe I am" Gibbs gave a half smile. "You know, I'm still taking you for that nice dinner."

"I believe you. We've just got to get this case finished. I'm doing everything I can, Gibbs."

"I know, I didn't mean it to try and get you to work harder. I know you always give me your best work. I want you out of here by ten tonight. I need you to stay sharp."

"Okay. Are you coming with?" Abby was hopeful, but she already knew the answer.

"I would if I could Abbs, but I need to get this guy."

"You need sleep, too."

"I'll be fine, Abby." They finished their meal with easy conversation. Gibbs left her for a few hours before he returned to make sure she was headed home. He walked her out to his car; they had driven in together the day before. He trapped her between his body and the body of his car, smiling as he leaned forward to kiss her. He knew he shouldn't at work, but it was the parking garage, and ten at night.

Abby pulled up to the dark house and let herself in, locking the door behind her. She dropped her bag on the table next to the front door, and headed upstairs. She showered and pulled the shirt that Gibbs had worn to bed over her head. She padded barefoot across the hallway and climbed into bed.

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TBC…


	32. Chapter 32

Wednesday went by the same way, though the three new bodies held only a few more clues, and Gibbs could feel it in his gut that they were close.

Gibbs and his team were out nearly all day chasing leads, and Abby spent the day waiting on results. She split her time between her lab and autopsy chatting with Ducky and Palmer. Palmer seemed oblivious to the idea of a relationship between her and Gibbs, and Ducky waited until he had sent Palmer home for the evening before bringing it up with Abby.

"Jethro is decidedly less irritable than one would assume he would be with such a case." Ducky shot Abby a sidelong glance as they sipped their tea.

"I don't know, Ducky. He hasn't exactly been rainbows and unicorns, but I guess I've seen him worse. Why?"

"I just thought that maybe you had something to do with it."

"Me?"

"Oh Abigail, I may be up in years, but I am not blind."

"Meaning?"

"It was rather sweet of you to call my place looking for him on Christmas Eve. He was so very happy to hear from you that evening, as was I, but there was a special look in his eyes after he hung up. It's none of my business, but I hope the two of you are happy together."

"Ducky we, uh… I… he…"

Ducky patted her arm, and offered a reassuring smile. "It's okay, my dear."

Abby was about to open her mouth to explain but the doors opened and Tony strode in. "Abby, Gibbs sent me down with a fiber. Asked if you would match it to the nylon fiber we found the day before. He's up in MTAC otherwise he'd have brought it down himself."

"Sure." Abby thanked Ducky for the tea and then left with Tony.

Tony draped his arm loosely around Abby's shoulders. "We've been so busy I haven't had a chance to really talk to you."

"Talk to me, Tony." Abby leaned in to him.

"Did you have a nice dinner date last night? I mean, not that I think of the boss as fancy restaurant kind of guy, but McDonalds? He can do better than that." Tony teased.

"Oh, and the pizza you came down to offer was so much better."

Tony played offended. "We ordered from the gourmet place down the street."

Abby just rolled her eyes.

"You know, you never fully filled me in on what happened between you and Gibbs. You said you worked everything out, and obviously you have, but when I dropped you off, he was pretty pissed. I could've sworn half the anger was directed at me. What happened?"

"He thought you and I were sleeping together."

Tony did a double take. "He _what?_"

Abby couldn't stifle her laugh. "Yeah, that's why he was so upset. Remember I told you about all our phone calls and stuff? Well, like me, he thought that we were getting closer, and I guess he had hoped to spend the weekend with me. Then, my flight was delayed and we hardly got to talk before I was off with you… he had been drinking and saw us hug on the front step and lost it. Like, in a major way. Not pretty, Tony."

"You ok?"

"Yeah, of course I am. Everything is settled down. He was drunk and accused me of sleeping with you, so I slapped him and told him I loved him…"

"And..?"

"I told him to go to bed. Then… yeah… you've heard enough about Sunday."

"Damn! I wish I could've been there to see you slap him. Anyone but you would have lost a limb."

Abby just responded with a grin.

Tony waited with Abby as she first looked at the fiber under the slide and then clipped a small section to find the exact components of the material. Tony stood beside her, his elbow casually resting on her shoulder as they stood looking at the fiber on the screen. Neither of them heard the doors open.

"We have a match?"

Tony jumped at the sound of Gibbs voice and automatically put eighteen inches between himself and Abby. He knew that Abby had explained that there was nothing but friendship between them, but still he didn't want Gibbs to get the wrong impression. He had been touching Gibbs' girl and no matter how platonic it may have been meant, he didn't want to risk it.

"Relax, DiNozzo." Gibb scowled, but then softened as he stepped closer to Abby. "A match?"

"I can't say for certain until the tests have finished and that will take a few hours, but from what I can see, it looks to be the same."

Gibbs frowned. He wanted to catch the killer before any more bodies showed up, but they couldn't get a warrant for Lance Corporal Jackson's house until they had something certain. He glanced at his watch, it was nearly midnight. "Go home, DiNozzo. Back at eight."

"Home?"

"If this rope matches, we're bringing Jackson down tomorrow. I want my agents fresh."

"Sure thing, boss." Tony was out the door. He hadn't been home for more than five minutes since he left for work on Monday morning. He wasn't going to waste any time.

"That means you too, Abby. Leave the test running over night. Go home and get some rest."Gibbs directed her towards her office to hang up her lab coat and grab her stuff.

"What about you, Gibbs? You need sleep, too."

"I've got some stuff to do at my desk. I'll try to get home for a few hours, but I can't promise." Abby frowned, but let Gibbs lead her to the elevator. "We'll catch him, Abbs. Things will settle down again. I promise."

"I know, I just hate being in the house alone when I know you are at work."

Gibbs didn't have an answer so he just kissed her cheek and sent her on her way. Abby went out to her car. She had driven Gibbs car home the night before, but had taken her own car in that morning.

Her shoulders slumped forward when she shut and locked the door behind her. She knew Gibbs had to focus on work, but this case was getting out of hand. She knew they were both married to their jobs, but she preferred the cases that had them home by at least eight.

Abby left the hall light on in hopes that Gibbs would make it back, if only for a few hours, and headed upstairs. She slipped into Gibbs' old shirt, and then went to go through her nightly ritual in the bathroom. This time, pausing in front of Gibbs' bedroom door, she decided to go in. She yawned as she pulled back the covers and slid beneath the sheets.

She wiggled to the center of the bed, snuggling down into one of the pillows, and promptly fell asleep.

Gibbs stared at the files on his desk. He read through until the lines started to blur and he knew he needed sleep. He was tempted to kick his feet up to the desk and settle back in the chair, but when he glanced at his watch and saw that it was just past one, he decided that there was enough time to go home.

He called a cab, and was picked up within ten minutes.

The first thing Gibbs noticed was that Abby had left the hall light on for him. It made him smile. He headed upstairs, and into his room. He almost switched on the light, but the Abby shaped lump in the center of his bed kept him from doing so. He was quiet as he dug through his drawers for a clean pair of boxers, sweatpants and t-shirt. It briefly crossed his mind that the other shirt he had been using to sleep in was missing, but he hadn't been home since Monday morning, he figured he must have tossed it in the wash.

He was quick in the shower.

Gibbs stood beside his bed looking down at Abby curled around his pillow. He was a little unsure of how to proceed. He felt… he was unsure of what he would feel if he just slipped into bed beside Abby. He had mentally had her up in his bed more times than he could count, but this… that was really Abby in his bed.

He pulled back the covers and sat down. He debated waking her, but he knew she was exhausted, and they had to be back at work in a few hours. He lay down, and moved closer to Abby. He said her name softly as he cuddled up behind her, not to wake her but to let her know, on some level, that it was him.

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TBC…

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	33. Chapter 33

*Evil Grin*

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Gibbs reached over Abby to hit the alarm that she must've set the night before. He was shocked to see that it was seven. He had rarely used his alarm clock over the past fifteen years, waking every morning at six without help.

"Gibbs?"

He looked down to see Abby looking up at him with a soft smile.

"Your bed is very comfy."

Gibbs thought back to their conversation over the phone while she had been away as he settled back beside her. "I told you it was. You should've trusted the gut."

Abby wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled herself closer, resting her head on his chest. "I always trust the gut Gibbs, but I'm a scientist, it's part of my nature to test things. You know that."

"I know." Gibbs pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "We've got to get up, Abby."

"I know, just five more minutes." Abby was wide awake, but having spent so little time alone with Gibbs Abby just needed five minutes to reassure herself that things were really happening between them.

"Ah hell, five minutes."Gibbs agreed and tightened his grip around her. Gibbs fingered the material of the shirt she was wearing, noting that it felt rather familiar. Finally he lifted his head to look at Abby and realized that it was his shirt she was wearing. "Hey, I was looking for this last night."

"You can have it now, if you like?" Abby propped her chin up to look at him with a smirk.

Gibbs shook his head. As much as he wanted to lift the shirt off of her himself, he knew that they would never make it back to work. "We don't have the time Abbs. When we do this, I'm going to take my time with you."

Abby sighed.

Gibbs tilted her face until she was looking at him. "Hey, we're taking this, us, slow, remember? I refuse to mess this up, Abby."

"I know, and you won't."

He touched his lips to the tip of her nose. "You won't let me."

"Nope."

After ten minutes Gibbs finally convinced himself that they needed to get going. He headed downstairs after changing, to fix them a quick breakfast while Abby showered.

Gibbs followed Abby down to her lab and waited while she checked the test results. "It's a match Gibbs. The nylon fibers from the victim match what you pulled off of Jackson's boat."

"He was killing and tying the victims up on his boat and then dropping them in the park.

Gibbs nodded, and they both headed to the squad room. With Abby's help, the team was wired so they could communicate when they went to take down Jackson. Abby was also given an ear piece and microphone so as they found information they could relay it to her and she could get started with any searches.

Abby watched as the team loaded into the elevator and then headed back towards her lab. Half an hour later Abby was switching on the recorders to that she could record the conversations for later use in the case. She listened to the hushed voices of Gibbs and the team as they worked their way around Jackson's house.

She chewed nervously on her lip to keep from speaking; she didn't need to distract them as they focused on finding Jackson. They had spoken to him the day before, but didn't have sufficient evidence to bring him in. Had been irritated by all their questions, and had issued more than his fair share of threats if they had decided to come back. Gibbs and team knew he was dangerous, so they approached with their guns drawn.

To stay calm, Abby tried to think back to waking up in Gibbs' bed as he hovered over her to turn off the alarm clock. It was something she was sure she could get used to, but it wasn't something that she was going to press. She knew he wanted to take things slow, so she wouldn't rush him. Although she was sure he would never admit it, he had issues to work through and she wanted to be sure he was okay. Ziva's voice cut through her thoughts bringing her back to the current situation.

Abby listened with a furrowed brow as things got tense. She heard as Ziva whispered her position, Gibbs giving McGee instructions to stick close to the wall while telling Tony to stay back and watch for any signs of life from within the house.

Abby couldn't keep still, pacing the lab, Bert under her arm.

"Boss, there is movement in the far left window." Tony's voice broke the silence.

Abby heard the sound of glass breaking.

"Boss! Watch ou-" Tony was interrupted by the sound of bullets.

Abby froze as the sound of bullets rang through her earpiece.

"Boss? Boss you okay?" McGee was the first to speak once the bullets stopped.

"I was able to take out Jackson." Ziva's voice was firm.

"Gibbs? Talk to us, boss." Tony's voice dropped a level.

"Gibbs!" Abby screamed into the small microphone. She tried to hold in a sob. "Gibbs."

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TBC….

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	34. Chapter 34

Hehe, ye of little faith….

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After what seemed like an eternity Gibbs' voice broke the painful silence. "Yeah, I'm alright."

Abby pulled out her ear bud and threw it across the room as she screamed out in frustration. She knew that their jobs were dangerous, but it wasn't often that she listened in while they took down a suspect. The brief moments where she was sure Gibbs had been hurt had been the worst and longest few seconds of her life. At least when he left for Mexico she knew he was alive. And at least when he had been put in the coma shortly before the Mexico ordeal she hadn't heard the blast that nearly killed him.

She paced her lab, clenching and unclenching her firsts. Safety – that was another conversation that they would be having whenever they finally had the chance to figure their relationship out. She knew he wasn't a fan of wearing his bullet proof vest, and that was going to be an issue she wasn't willing to settle on.

Gibbs had heard the desperation in her voice, followed by her scream and he knew that she had taken her ear bud out. He accepted Tony's hand, and was pulled to his feet and while Tony gave him a once over to make sure he was really okay, McGee and Ziva headed in to secure the house and put a call out for Ducky to come pick up the body.

Returning to NCIS, he knew his first stop had to be Abby. He stepped out of the elevator and took a deep breath before heading towards the lab. He stopped in the doorway to watch her. She stood in front of her desk, staring at something on the screen. If he hadn't known her so well, he would've assumed she was just busy at work.

He noticed the way her shoulders were squared and tense. Her hands gripped at the edge of the desk, leaving her knuckles white with tension. He tried to think of something to say, but words weren't his strong point, so he settled on an easy whisper of her name. "Abby…"

Abby spun around to face him and it was obvious that she had been crying earlier.

He had expected her to fly into his arms, but Abby wasn't as predictable as most people thought. Instead of launching herself at him, she started pacing again.

"Gibbs, I can't do that, I can't listen to you guys as you go after someone with a gun because that was seriously the worst ten seconds of my life after hearing the gun go off and everyone shouting your name and then you didn't answer and I just can handle something like that I know your job is dangerous but still, you'll just have to wait and call me after you take down the bad guy…" Abby paused for a quick breath. "…because I just can't handle it and if something happened…"

Gibbs leaned against the door frame and let her rant. He knew that it was her coping mechanism and he wasn't about to get in the way of that. He had his boat and Abby had words. Her hands flew as she rambled on. He was able to catch a few words, some matched what she was saying, but some seemed to be part of a whole different conversation. He was good at signing, but when she was upset one sign often faded into another before he could catch the meaning.

Finally she stopped and turned to face him. She looked like she was about to cry again so he took a step forward and reached out for her. Finally he got what he had first expected as she launched herself into his arms to press her face against his chest.

"Oww." Abby pulled back and rubbed her cheek. "What the…" Abby tapped a knuckle against Gibbs chest.

"My vest."

Abby raised an eyebrow. "You don't wear your vest."

Gibbs pulled her back against him. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her shampoo. "I do now."

Abby gripped tightly to his vest and sighed. "You better."

"Come on. Let's go up to the squad room. The others are at their desks, working on their reports." Gibbs knew that there was no chance that Abby would stay in her lab alone. He knew that after an upsetting experience Abby did best when she was around her friends. Up in the squad room he directed her to Tony as he explained that he needed to talk to the director.

He watched as Tony welcomed her into his outstretched arms. Gibbs would've preferred to be the one holding her, but the meeting with Vance wouldn't wait. Once Abby had assured him that Tony was like a brother, and nothing more than that he had an easier time seeing her with Tony.

Tony held Abby tightly; he knew that physical contact was one of the most settling things for her. He was pleased that Gibbs had brought her to him. It may have been something small, but to Tony it was the greatest show of trust that Gibbs had shown him. It meant a lot.

Eventually Abby pulled away, urging Tony to get to his paper work. The sooner they all finished their reports the sooner they could get home. They all needed an early night.

Abby curled up in Gibbs chair and watched the agents work. It amused her greatly that McGee's lips twitched as he thought his way through what he was working on. His lips pursed as he stumbled over his thoughts. Her eyes drifted over to Tony. He sat tapping his pointer finger to his lips as he thought before he typed. Tony would start and then re-start his report several times before he was able to write it out, but once he got started, it never took him long. Abby glanced briefly at Ziva. She didn't like to stare at the woman while she worked; it seems as though Ziva could always tell when someone was watching her, and Abby didn't want to be a distraction.

Abby looked up to see Gibbs headed down the stairs. "Go home. We're off active duty until Monday. The reports can wait until tomorrow. Be in by twelve tomorrow. Get some sleep."

Tony looked at his watch. It was thirteen hundred. He looked to McGee and then across to Ziva, they both shrugged and quickly started to gather their stuff. Abby raised her eye brows at Gibbs, silently asking if they were headed home as well. He gave a slight nod causing Abby to jump up and rush to the back elevators to get her stuff.

She hurried through her lab, switching off machines, hanging up her lab coat and grabbing her stuff. Gibbs was waiting for her when she returned. He reached out and grabbed her hand as they headed towards the elevator.

"Can I take you out tonight? Nice dinner, like I promised?"

Abby leaned her head against Gibbs shoulder as the elevator moved towards the parking garage.

"Actually, can we just hang at home? Make dinner together? It's been such a long week. I just want to pull on some sweats and relax."

Gibbs gave her hand a squeeze as the elevator doors opened. "Yeah, that sounds good. We need to swing by the store then."

As they approached Abby's car, Abby headed towards the passenger side door, digging her keys out of her purse and handing them to Gibbs. She knew he preferred to drive. "Gibbs?"

"Yeah."

Abby stepped in front of him and kissed him softly. "I love you."

Gibbs leaned forward to kiss her again, while at the same time opening her door. "I love you too, Abby. Now get in the car."

"Yes, sir."

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TBC….

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	35. Chapter 35

Gibbs pushed the grocery cart as Abby grabbed items off the shelf. They had agreed on fajitas, but as they hadn't been home in nearly a week, they needed some basics as well. He watched as Abby chatted happily with a young man over in the fresh fruit and vegetable section. He kept his eye on her as she waved to the man and then picking up some lettuce for their salad that night, she sauntered up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Can we get some ice cream?"

Gibbs tried to ignore the kiss she placed on his chin. "Mmhmm."

Abby returned quickly with a carton of ice cream. "You can ask, you know."

"Ask what?"

Abby linked her arm Gibbs' as they continued down the cereal aisle. "Who he was."

"He?"

"I saw you _casually_ observing that guy in the veggie area. He lived in my old apartment complex. Guess it was just fumigated. Again. Good thing I got out."

"I wasn't observing him."

"Sure you weren't."Abby smiled and then dropped her hold on Gibbs arm to move ahead to grab a box of her favorite cereal. They got the rest of what they needed and then after paying they loaded their groceries into the car.

It was shortly after three by the time they were home and had the groceries unloaded. Abby went for a quick shower while Gibbs stretched out on the couch. He had averaged between three and four hours of sleep each of the past few nights, and except for the previous night, he hadn't slept well. He was nearly asleep when he heard Abby's footsteps approaching. Her hair was damp and pulled into a messy ponytail. She was in her sweatpants and one of his old, well-worn t-shirts and she had her comforter wrapped around her shoulders.

"Is this a one person nap, or can anyone join?"

Gibbs reached out for her, and Abby stepped forward. She crawled over him and wedged herself between him and the back of the couch, resting slightly over his chest. It didn't take long for them both to drift off.

When Gibbs finally opened his eyes, it was quarter to six. He rubbed his hand across his face and yawned. If his stomach hadn't reminded him that he was hungry, he would've been content to spend the rest of the night with Abby on the couch. He tried to slip away from Abby without waking her, but her grip tightened, and without opening her eyes she spoke. "Where you going?"

"It's nearly six, I'm going to start dinner."

Abby let him get up and then swung her legs around to sit up. "I'll help." She took a few moments to yawn and stretch and then followed Gibbs to the kitchen. Gibbs had started on slicing the chicken and Abby walked up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against his back.

She hugged him and then moved to help fry the chicken, green pepper and onion mix. They ate dinner talking about everything except the case that had kept them both so busy. Neither was sure they could bring it up without Abby ending up in tears. He had heard her scream his name, and yet it still took a few seconds for him to collect his thoughts enough so that he could answer.

After dinner they did the dishes together, content to stand shoulder to shoulder, Abby occasionally stepped away to put a dry dish back in its rightful spot. When they were done, Gibbs flicked a few drops of water at her face. "You know, you still haven't gotten me back for spraying you. It was a while ago."

"I haven't forgotten."

"Oh?"

"But you've been expecting something. It's no fun when you expect something."

Abby hung up the dish towel and followed Gibbs back to the couch. He sat down and waited for her to curl up to his side before handing her the remote. Abby grinned and flipped until she found a criminal investigation show. Gibbs huffed, but gave her arm a squeeze.

Abby was content to lean into him, her comforter draped across their laps as they watched TV until one of the agents was shot, surviving the gunfire due to the bullet proof vest. "Gibbs…"

Gibbs heard the tremor in her voice so he shifted her away so he could get a better look. "Abby?"

Her fingers reached out to trace over his chest, before she fisted the material of his shirt. "You have to promise to always wear your vest."

"I will. I'm ok. I wasn't hit."

Abby lurched forward, holding his face as she kissed him. Gibbs allowed her to deepen the kiss, letting her take control. Before she realized what she was doing, Abby was straddling Gibbs lap, her blanket shoved aside and forgotten.

He was lost in the taste of her lips. It wasn't their first kiss, but he had longed to savor her lips, so now that he was free to do so… she amazed him every time.

Abby dropped her head back, and moaned softly as Gibbs nibbled down the side of her neck.

Gibbs gripped her hips as she struggled to pull her shirt over her head. His warm hands were firm as they moved up her waist and then back to settle on her hips. He found himself lost in the moment as he started to work the clasp of her bra. Suddenly he flattened his palm over the clasp, preventing it from opening.

Abby used her teeth to tug lightly on his lower lip before speaking around it. "Need some help?"

"Abby..." He sighed. "We can't. Not like this." Silently he cursed himself for not just letting go.

Abby leaned into him, pressing her face into the side of his neck.

"This… this is about your fear. I don't want it to be about fear, Abby. Just about love. I love you so much." Gibbs kissed her bare shoulder.

"I love you, too." Abby tightened her grip on him.

They sat a few minutes, Abby straddling his lap while his hand rubbed up and down her back, leaving a trail of goose-bumps as the cool air chilled the skin where his warm hand had been.

Eventually Abby pulled back. She kissed him softly before she moved from his lap. She picked up his old shirt that she had been wearing, and slipped it over her head. "I'm going to bed."

"Abby…"

The look on Gibbs face made her smile. He looked so worried, she couldn't help but lean down to kiss him again. "I'm not upset, Gibbs. I just can't be here…" She nodded to the spot on the couch beside him. "…right now, and keep my hands to myself."

Gibbs was put at ease by her genuine smile, and he stood as she gathered her comforter. "C'mere" Gibbs pulled her into a hug, and kissed her one last time before watching her head upstairs.

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TBC…

So damn close…. Teehee.

Lemme know your thoughts!!


	36. Chapter 36

Hearing the door to the bathroom shut upstairs, Gibbs decided to head down to his boat. The nap he had taken with Abby meant he wasn't ready for bed yet, and the boat was just the thing he needed to help process his thoughts.

He moved around the boat, inspecting the wood with his eyes, trailing his fingers along its side, feeling for any splinters he may have missed. He reached for the sanding block, but never made a move to actually use it. Instead he leaned back against the hull and rubbed his hands over his face.

He had wanted nothing more than to feel Abby's soft skin against his body, but he told himself he had been right for stopping her. She had been too focused on her fear of losing him, and he didn't want to start their physical relationship with fear.

That was his first excuse.

He also needed to make sure she knew that she wasn't some placeholder in his bed; keeping Shannon's spot warm so that he could indulge in some fantasy of her returning. He knew she was gone. He knew she wasn't coming back. He didn't think she felt that way, but Sister Rosita had said that hearing about Shannon had been difficult for her to hear, and so he had to be sure. If she wanted to hear about them, he decided that he would tell her – hell, he wanted to tell her. But at the same time, if she was even the slightest bit emotional about it, he wanted her to come to him. They could work through their feelings together. As much as he wasn't a talkative person, particularly when it came to his feelings, he would try for Abby.

Rule 12 flittered through his brain, but he quickly pushed it aside. He wasn't going to let that get in the way, not now that he knew she felt the same was about him as he did for her. Before her confession he was happy to hide behind his rule, but now… it just wasn't an option.

Shannon had instilled the idea of life-rules in him, but when he thought about the two women, he was fairly certain that Shannon would favor bending the rule for his happiness. He knew it wasn't possible, but he wished he could have both women. He knew that if Shannon had survived, even if he met Abby, nothing would've happened. The idea of a relationship with Abby never would have crossed his mind, but he thought briefly of the two women, and what they would be like if they had met, what Shannon's thoughts of her would've been. As different as they were, he could imagine them as friends. He knew that Abby was the right woman for him, but there was still a part of him that wished he could have some form of blessing from Shannon.

He moved to the shelves lining the wall, and pulled out the box of photos. He had last looked at them when he had shown Abby the photos of Shannon and Kelly. The photo on top was the one of him as a young child in the ridiculous sweater his grandma Gibbs had sent. Abby's reaction to the photo had been the exact same as Shannon. They had both squealed with delight at his obvious embarrassment.

He leaned over his workbench as he flipped through the photos. He paused to ghost his finger over Shannon and Kelly and their smiling faces. "Ah, you guys would really love her."

His eyes focused on Shannon as he spoke to her. "She makes me laugh the way you did, and I mean _really_ laugh. And she knows when I need my space. She doesn't force me to talk when she knows I don't want to. She's just there for me. She isn't you, but she's good for me. And I love her, more than life. And you," His eyes traveled to Kelly, and he focused on her toothy grin. "You know, if you were still here, you'd have a tattoo, well, a couple by now. Even if mom and I said no, I think you would have seen hers and wanted one. She would've taken you, too, probably to one of her friends who would've have done it before you even turned 18. God, I miss you guys."

He was sure he could hear Kelly laugh, and Shannon gasp good-naturedly at the idea of the tattoos.

He picked up the cassette that they had sent him while he was away. He didn't have to play it to hear Kelly pounding out a new song on the piano, or their sweet voices as they spoke.

_I miss you daddy, I miss you Jethro…_

That's all he had left of them; a cassette tape and a few photos in an old, dusty box.

Gibbs turned his head to look up the stairs. He imagined Abby curled up in her bed. He didn't have any tape of her, or any photos stored away to remember her by. He didn't need them. He had the real thing, upstairs. His eyebrow furrowed as he thought. Had it been Shannon up there, there would be no way he'd be talking to himself in the basement. "What am I doing down here?"

He heard one of the steps up to the basement door creak, though no one was on it. "That your way of telling me to get out of the damn basement, Shannon?" He could imagine her leaning against the boat, one hand planted firmly on her hip, the other pointing up to the door. She had been rather intimidating when she was frustrated with him.

"I'm going, I'm going." He looked back down at the photo with a knowing smile. "Thanks."

Abby lay staring up at the ceiling through the dark. Strangely enough she didn't feel rejected by Gibbs. Sure she wanted nothing more than to be lying naked next to him in his bed, but this wasn't going to be a one-time fuck. As much as she wanted him, she wanted him to be ready. If he wanted the slow, romantic build up, than that's what she would give him. She could see how he could be put off by her neediness from earlier. She knew she had gotten caught up in the moment. The memory of earlier in the day, the echo of the gunshot ringing through her ear piece… All she had been looking for was some reassurance that he was really ok. He was right; as much as she loved him she had been driven by her fear of losing him.

She also suspected some of his hesitance had to do with his loyalty to Shannon. She didn't think he would back out; he had made it clear that he loved her, and she believed him, but his residual pain was obvious.

She thought back to Veteran's Day when he had spoken about them at the diner, said he thought she would've liked them. She knew she probably would have. She couldn't help but think that if they were still alive, she wouldn't be with him... but it all boiled down to his happiness. She would easily give him up in exchange for his happiness. She wasn't sure if it was morbid or not, but she wanted to know more about them.

She had cried when he had showed her the photos of them, she had felt guilty for some reason when she looked at their smiling faces, almost as if she was taking him from them. She thought that maybe if she knew about them they could be a part of her too.

Abby was lost in her thoughts as she stared blindly at the ceiling. She didn't hear his footsteps up the stairs, or the bathroom door shutting. She didn't hear the toilet flush, or the water run, nor did she hear the bathroom door open again.

She only became aware of his presence when her door creaked open and the hall light trickled into her room.

"Gibbs?" She knew it was him, but the way the light spilled in around him, it kept his face shadowed and she was unable to read his expression.

"You still awake?"

Abby propped herself up on an elbow to look at him with a semi-sleepy smile. "No, I'm asleep and in the middle of a wild fantasy involving you, my mass spectrometer and a giant Caf-Pow."

When he did nothing but lean against the door frame and continue to look at her, Abby frowned. "Are you ok?"

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TBC…


	37. Chapter 37

_When he did nothing but lean against the door frame and continue to look at her, Abby frowned. "Are you ok?"_

Gibbs stepped forward. "Yeah, I'm ok."

Abby settled back into her pillows and watched as he moved forward again. Although there was a little light from the hallway, her eyes hadn't adjusted enough to be able to read his expression. His body language seemed relaxed and that put her at ease. As he neared her bed, Abby moved away from the edge of the bed, giving him room to either sit or lay beside her.

Gibbs sat on the edge of her bed, and Abby watched as he reached out to touch his dog tags which she had placed on her bedside table. "As much as I want to, I can't wear them at night. I think I would strangle myself in the middle of the night." Her eyes had adjusted enough to catch the corners of his mouth curve upwards in a smile.

"They look good on you."

"They make me feel safe, like you're standing right behind me, on my six." Abby reached out and ran her finger over the chain.

She thought that he was getting up to leave, briefly wondering if she had said something wrong, but then realized that he had kicked off his shoes and lowered himself beside her, across her outstretched arm.

He lay on his stomach, draping one arm over Abby's waist as he scooted close. He pressed his nose against her cheek in a soft nuzzle. "I love you, Abby."

Rolling towards him, Abby spread her fingers cross his back and kissed his forehead. "I heard you go downstairs right after I came up here. Is everything ok?"

"It is. It is now." He looked at her, smiling when he realized that she was waiting for him to speak again, as if she knew he had something to add. "I've had reservations about this. About us…"

"Have or had?"Abby tried to keep the panic from her voice.

Gibbs tightened his arm around her waist. "Relax. I had reservations, I don't anymore."

Abby let out a sigh of relief.

"Abby, I want to tell you things… about them. Every other relationship I've been in has failed because I've refused to let anyone in. I want to let you in, Abbs. I want to be able to talk about them, with you."

Abby trailed her fingers back and forth across his shoulders gently and kissed his forehead again, murmuring reassurances before speaking more clearly. "So tell me about them. I'd like to hear."

Gibbs removed his arm from around her waist and moved his hand up to cup her cheek. "I want to Abby. I… I just… I don't want you to feel like I compare you to her. I don't." Gibbs cleared his throat, he hated to sound weak. "I swear I don't."

"Gibbs…" Abby brushed her lips against his. "I know you don't compare me to Shannon. We're different. She was a redhead beauty. I've got black hair and a spider-web on my neck. It's rather obvious that…"

"You're beautiful."

"And you flatter." Abby couldn't help but giggle softly. "But I would like to know about both Shannon and Kelly. They are part of you, and I love you."

Gibbs shifted so that he was on his side rather than on his stomach. "Anyone ever tell you that you're amazing?"

Abby thought for a moment and innocently answered. "No."

Gibbs laughed. "Everyone tells you you're amazing."

Abby just shrugged.

"Come here." Gibbs tugged on her shirt, indicating that he wanted her to move closer. "Let me hold you."

Abby was torn, but she moved into his arms anyway. She took a deep breath and clenched her legs together to try and ease the slight ache she felt at the junction of her thighs. It was difficult to be in bed with him and keep herself under control, but he had sought her out to tell her he wanted to let her in and she knew it was difficult for him. If he wanted to hold her, she certainly wasn't going to say no.

Gibbs tucked her in against his chest, pressing his cheek against the top of her head.

"You were right, Gibbs, about earlier. It was about my fear. I was scared. I was worried I had lost you earlier. But Gibbs, I think I will always worry. You've got a dangerous job."

"And you don't think I worry about you on a daily basis?"

"I haven't had a stalker in a long while and now that I've got you… I can't see myself picking one up either."

Abby felt two fingers curl under her chin, tilting her face up to meet his. "You better not." It was as stern of a warning as he could give while she lay in his arms.

"Yes. Sir." Abby punctuated her response with quick kisses.

Gibbs gave her a quick nod before pulling away and sitting up on the edge of her bed. He ran a hand through his hair before standing and turning to look at her.

Abby watched, unsure of what exactly was happening.

Gibbs extending his hand. "Come on."

Abby looked at his hand and then up at his face curiously. "Huh?"

"Looks like I have to do all the work around here." Gibbs said with a smirk. He tossed her covers back and slid one arm under her knees and his other around her back, lifting her effortlessly.

"_Gibbs!"_ Abby squealed, and wrapped her arms around Gibbs neck.

"So about this fantasy you were talking about… the mass spec and Caf-Pow. Did they play a big part, or was it just me…?"

Abby just laughed.

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TBC…


	38. Chapter 38

First of all – Rating changed to M – if Gibbs and Abby lovin' isn't your style, come back for chapter 40.

Second – I should've made it clearer that when Abby went up to bed, she went to her own room, not his.

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Gibbs carried her across the hall to his bedroom and set her on her feet besides the bed. He wasted no time in cupping her face and bringing his lips to hers.

Abby gripped his forearms as he trailed kisses along her jaw. "Not… not that I… I don't want… this, but I thought you needed… needed time."

"I don't want to waste anymore time." His voice was warm against her ear. "We've both been waiting long enough." Before Gibbs could even finish, Abby was pulling his shirt from his pants, the material balled in her fists as she worked it up over his head. "Eager, Abby?"

Abby looked at him through the dark and made sure he understood her mental command to 'shut up'. She was busy running her hands along his shoulders and then down his chest, teasing her fingers through his chest hair. She touched his collar bone, dragging her fingers across before leaning in to trace the same pattern her fingers made with her lips. Stepping back half a step, Abby let her fingers fall to map out his stomach, her light touch causing him to shiver. She grinned as her fingers moved to his belt.

As she worked the leather through the loop, Gibbs stopped her. "Why am I the only one losing clothes here?"

Abby huffed and gave a childish pout before pulling Gibbs well-worn cotton tee up and over her head. "Better?"

Gibbs captured her lips with his and then drew back enough to say 'no'. With a quick yank on the draw strings of her shorts, they slid easily down her legs, leaving her in a skimpy piece of lace. Gibbs snapped the waist band playfully. "You won't need these either."

Abby pulled back and narrowed her eyes at Gibbs noting that he was still mostly dressed. "Now that's not fair." She slid them down anyway and moved over to the bed and lay back as Gibbs was quick with his belt and jeans. She watched as she stepped free from the denim, admiring his legs. She hadn't ever really thought of his legs before, but mentally she added his legs to the ever growing list of everything she adored about him.

Gibbs crawled on to the bed and straddled Abby's hips, keeping most of his weight on his knees. He smiled down at Abby before leaning in to kiss her. As she had originally expected, his kiss was demanding. He wasn't willing to hand over control until he had mapped out her mouth. Abby relished his control; it was so much more 'the Gibbs she knew' compared to his hesitant kisses from before.

Gibbs trailed down along her neck and out along her collarbone, nipping at her skin and then soothing away the slight pain with his tongue, spurred on by Abby's short gasps and soft moans.

Abby arched against him, her fingers digging into the bare skin of his back with each nip.

He moved his head down her chest, never moving more than an inch without kissing her pale skin.

Dragging her fingers up to the back of his neck and up into his hair, Abby was lost in the sensation of his mouth at her breasts, in the flick of his tongue as he teased one nipple and then the other, to a peak. She didn't notice his hand skimming her side. She barely felt his thumb trace a small circle over her hip bone, so it came as a surprise when a finger slid across her opening.

"_Oh God…"_

Gibbs chuckled, "nope, just me" and moved up to claim her lips again. As he kissed her, he dipped two fingers insides and was rewarded a groan against his mouth. He moved to kiss the red marks that were slowly appearing along her neck and collarbone, he hadn't meant to mark her, but he liked seeing that he had claimed her as his; it was a reminder to himself that they were together.

Abby buried her face against his neck and whimpered as his thumb found home on her clit. Gibbs twisted his fingers inside, and smiled when she tightened around him.

"Oh, _God_, right there…. _Gibbs_…"

His fingers twisted and curled as he teased her towards the edge. He could feel her nearing her climax, so he kissed her and then pulled his face back to watch her. Her eyes were closed as she writhed in pleasure. Her soft moans became more erratic and he could feel her tremble.

"Gibbs… I…" Abby couldn't finish.

Gibbs brushed the hair out of her face and kissed her forehead as she rode out the last of her orgasm. He withdrew his fingers, sucking them clean while Abby lay regulating her breathing. Eventually Abby opened her eyes and smiled up at him. Gibbs returned the smile and touched his lips to the tip of her nose.

Pushing him over to lay on his back, Abby delighted in the sight of his tented boxers. Gibbs could see where she was headed, but Gibbs wasn't as young as he used to be, he wasn't ready to end it with a blowjob.

Abby had his boxers down quickly, but before she could do anything, Gibbs had her back on her back, and was reaching towards the bedside table for a condom.

Abby slapped his hand away. "We don't need one." She laughed at the curious look her gave her.

"I hope that isn't something you say often."

"I haven't been…" Abby swallowed hard, slightly distracted as she felt him nudging at her entrance. "…with anyone for quite awhile. I'm clean and on the pill. So unless Hollis gave you something…"

"Brat." Her smartass comment was met with a sharp slap to the thigh. "You sure?"

"Yes." Abby propped herself up on her elbows to kiss him. She nudged him back onto his back and straddled him. He gripped her hips as she slowly lowered herself over him. She sat still for a moment, enjoying the feeling before she began to rock her hips back and forth.

Lacing her fingers with his, Abby braced herself against his palms as she began to move.

Gibbs groaned at the feeling of her clenching around him. He allowed her to set the pace when all he wanted to was to flip her over and take charge. Abby planted her hands firmly on his chest and angled her hips to grind down.

Abby knew that giving up control wasn't something Gibbs was good at, and as much as she was lost in her own pleasure, she could tell by the way his fingers kept tightening, digging into her hips, that he was itching to take control.

"Abby…" Her name came out in a growl – he couldn't help himself, he had to flip her over.

Abby laughed as he put her on her back. "Control freak," she teased.

"Tease." He countered before settling between her legs.

"Only for you, Gibbs." Abby wrapped her legs around his waist urging him on, and groaned as he pushed back inside.

"Mine." He leaned forward to kiss her, muffling his own groans. Abby nipped at his lower lip, giving it a slight tug with her teeth as he thrust into her over and over again.

"Yours." Her fingers scratched across his back, leaving her own marks of ownership. The muscles of his back danced under her hands as she fanned her fingers out over his skin.

"Abby," Gibbs pressed his forehead to hers. "So close…" He refused to finish before she did, so he reached between them to bring her tumbling over the edge with him.

Gibbs came in a flash of white-hot delight; only the strangled cry of his name had him aware of the fact that Abby had reached her release as well.

Gibbs collapsed on top of her, hoping he wasn't crushing her beneath his weight; he had no strength to move.

Abby trailed her fingers back and forth across his back and the sheen of sweat covering his skin. She drew one hand up and ran her fingers through his hair, dragging her fingernails along his scalp. Eventually Gibbs managed to roll off to lay beside her, clutching her hand in his.

As the cool air chilled them both, Gibbs pulled Abby to rest on his chest and then pulled the blankets up around them. Gibbs sighed as she snuggled against him, and traced lazy circles on her bare back. "You know Abbs, I've never shared _this_ bed with anyone since Shannon, haven't wanted to until now."

Abby smiled, it was probably the most loving thing he could ever say to her. She wriggled up to nuzzle her nose against Gibbs' cheek. "I love you Gibbs. I really, really do."

"I love you too."

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TBC….

Rawr!

Tell me whatcha think!


	39. Chapter 39

Again, not a fan of Gibbs/Abby sex, come back for the next chapter…

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Gibbs was glad he had decided to tell everyone to come in at noon rather than the usual eight am. He stretched out his arm to drape over Abby and pull her in close, but his arm landed flat on the mattress.

"Abby?" His eyes opened quickly and saw that the spot where she had been sleeping was empty. He felt with his hand, her spot was still warm so she hadn't been gone long. He listened for sounds coming from the bathroom but heard none. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and grabbed for a pair of sweatpants and his boxers.

Halfway down the stairs he could smell coffee so he headed for the kitchen. He paused when he saw Abby, unable to stop the lop-sided grin that appeared on his face. She stood with her back to him; she had pulled on her panties, and the frilly pink apron she had made him wear after bowling with the nuns. He had covered half the distance to her before she turned around.

"Gibbs! You aren't supposed to be up yet!"

Gibbs gave her a once over, thinking that this is what she should've looked like while cooking Thanksgiving dinner. "I'm glad I'm up to see this." He gave a little tug at the apron.

"_Gi-ii-ibbs…_ I was going to deliver coffee and the paper to you upstairs in bed."

He casually leaned back against the counter and gave her an apologetic look. "I woke up and you weren't there. I just…"

"Hey, we already covered that." Abby stepped up to him to wrap her arms around his mid-section. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I know, but…"

"No 'buts', Gibbs. I told you I'm not going anywhere, but I guess I just have to…" Abby slid her hands down his waist, her hand hooking the waistband of his sweats and boxers. "…make you understand."

"Abby, you don't have…" He stopped talking when she lowered to her knees taking his sweatpants and boxers down with her.

Abby ignored him as she dropped to her knees. She placed a tender kiss to each of his knees, she knew that they bothered him after a long hard case like the one they had this week. She kissed her way north, kissing everywhere but where he obviously wanted.

She heard him grunt and looked up to give him a saucy wink. She wet her lips in anticipation. Gibbs gripped the counter top behind him, his knuckles turning white from the pressure as he watched his cock disappear in Abby's mouth.

Gibbs reached out and traced his thumb along Abby's hollowed cheek as she sucked. His head fell back against the cabinet with a dull thud as Abby bobbed up and down in a steady pace, occasionally humming against him.

He managed to open his eyes again to look down at Abby, her bright green eyes staring back up at him. _Oh God…_ This had been one of his more frequent fantasies that he had had about her.

He wasn't sure what she was doing with her tongue, but he felt his balls draw tight and he knew it would be over sooner rather than later. He fought hard not to thrust into her mouth, letting her take what she could.

"Ab… Abby… I'm going… I…" He felt it was only fair to give her warning before his world faded away and he came with a shudder.

Abby took everything he gave her, wave after wave, not missing a drop.

By the time his world came back into focus, Abby gracefully lifted herself from her position on her knees, bringing his boxers and sweats back up with her.

He wasn't ready for words yet, so he simply tugged her forward and dipped his head to kiss her. Gibbs was surprised to find that he enjoyed the taste of himself on Abby's tongue when he kissed her. "You… are amazing."

"I know." Abby smiled as she pulled away. She lifted the apron off and tossed it to him, one arm covering her chest. "You can wear this next time…"

Gibbs was about to throw it back at her as she walked away, but instead dropped it and grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Did I hurt you?"

Abby looked at him, and then followed his gaze to her hips where his firm grip the night before had left a few small bruises. "Gibbs." She stepped up to him again and moved her hands to cup his cheeks. "Do I look hurt to you?" She pressed her thumbs over his lips. "Because you most certainly did not hurt me. However, if I can't find a collar to cover this…" Abby moved her hand to point to the red mark highest on her neck. "…You will be the one to explain to Tony how it got there."

"Deal." Gibbs leaned forward for a kiss, and then lifted her so she could wrap her legs around his waist. "We both need a shower. No reason we can't take one together."

Abby held tight as he walk towards the stairs. "Anyone ever tell you that you are one smart special agent?"

"A time or two." Gibbs pushed the bathroom door open and set Abby on her feet. She waited and watched as he turned on and adjusted the water pressure and temperature. He loved that she could just stand there in nothing but her underwear and look just as intimidating as ever.

Gibbs slid his sweats and boxers off, stepping under the water and holding the curtain back for Abby. She was graceful as she slipped out of her underwear and then stepped over the edge of the tub. Turning them around so that Abby was under the spray of water, he watched her movements as she wet her hair and then reached for the shampoo. Gibbs took the shampoo from her hand and squirted a blob in his hand and then turned her around so he could massage her scalp. Once he was finished shampooing and conditioning her hair, Abby returned the favor. She soaped up her hands and massaged the tight muscles spread across his back, adding a smack to his ass for good measure. Gibbs shot her a look over his shoulder, but smiled when she pressed a kiss against his shoulder blade.

Turning around to face Abby, Gibbs then spun her around and pulled her back against his chest. He was gentle as he kissed the side of her neck, he didn't need to add to the marks he had already left.

Abby shivered under the hot water as Gibbs trailed the fingers of his right hand down across her abdomen while his left arm wrapped around her waist, holding her back against him. Dropping her head back against him, Abby whimpered as his fingers slipped between her folds.

He had briefly considered dropping to his knees, he wanted to use his tongue, but the idea of spending any length of time on his knees on the hard surface of the tub had changed his mind. _Oh well,_ he figured. _There is always tonight_.

He worked diligently with his fingers and was quickly rewarded as she trembled, and mumbled something he couldn't quite understand.

"Come for me, Abbs…" His thumb swept across her clit twice more before he felt her legs wobble and he tightened his hold around her waist.

After a few minutes, Abby turned in the circle of his arms. "Can we do this every morning?"

Gibbs smiled and kissed her forehead. "Do you plan on us ever getting to work?"

"By noon? Sure."

Reaching behind her, he switched off the water and the pulled the shower curtain back. Grabbing two towels off the rack, he handed one to Abby and then used the other one on himself. He frowned when he realized Abby didn't follow him back into the master bed room, but then realized that all of Abby's stuff was in her room. He'd have to fix that. They weren't 'just house-mates' anymore.

Gibbs was dressed and ready before Abby, so he headed downstairs to make fresh coffee and a quick bite to eat before they headed into work for the afternoon.

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TBC…


	40. Chapter 40

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They arrived at work a good ten minutes before the rest of the team arrived. Abby signed her undying love rather than kiss him in the office. She was rewarded with a lop-sided grin and Gibbs giving her a slight shove towards the back elevators. McGee was first in, and Gibbs was quick to notice that the stress from the past few days seemed to have faded from his face.

_Giving the agents the chance to sleep in had been the right choice, _he thought_._

Ziva and Tony strolled out of the elevator together, their hands nearly touching.

_Or maybe they hadn't been sleeping_, Gibbs changed his mind. He decided not to think about it. He couldn't call them on his broken rule, when he had spent a majority of the past 12 hours doing the same thing.

Slowly the agents settled at their desks and brought out the mounds of paper work associated with the case from the past week. It was an hour before Tony was quietly getting up and heading towards the back elevator. Gibbs noticed and cleared his throat. Pausing mid-step, Tony cringed and turned back around to head towards his desk, but Gibbs stopped him. "Bring her a Caf-Pow when you go down."

"I…oh, ok." Tony wasn't sure why Gibbs hadn't thrown him back at his desk, but he wasn't about to ask questions.

He made a quick run for a Caf-Pow and then headed for Abby's lab. She was sitting at her computer, hunched over the keyboard reading something on the screen. Tony swept over her briefly with his eyes, and just before he set the Caf-Pow on her desk he noticed a red mark mostly covered by the collar she wore around her neck.

"Well well well…" Tony flashed a grin. "What do we have here?"

Abby looked up, and her eyes sparkled at the Caf-Pow. "Thanks Tony!"

Holding it just out of her reach, Tony looped a finger in the collar around her neck and grinned. "Whatcha hiding under there?"

"None of your business, Tony." Abby lunged for the Caf-Pow, but he managed to hold it just out of her reach. "Fine, I'll get my own."

"Come on Abby, just tell me what happened."

Abby rolled her eyes. "Go ask Gibbs."

"Yeah, I'll get right on that." Tony smirked and set the Caf-Pow on the desk. "But come on, Abby. I'm not asking for _all_ the juicy details, just a few."

Abby grinned and took a long draw from the Caf-Pow. "Again, I think you should ask Gibbs. I'm sure he's got a lot to say on the topic."

"How about I take you out to dinner or something? We can reassure Gibbs that we aren't sleeping together, and we can go somewhere… and you can fill me in."

"Gibbs has been pushing to go out for a nice dinner, so he's first in line for a dinner date, but after that… You can take me out. Don't think I'll be sharing the details of the sex we may or may not have had, but…"

"May or may not have had? Come on Abby, it's me, Tony. You aren't talking to McVirgin-til-I-die, here. I think we're past the have you or haven't you yet. You don't get something like that," Tony touched the mark on her neck, "from a smile."

Abby couldn't help but laugh. "Don't you have work to do? It's Friday, and I think we'd all like to get out of here as soon as possible."

Tony scowled at her. "I will find out, Abby. I could start to fund your Caf-Pows…"

"_Out_, Tony."

"I'm going, I'm going…"

Tony tried not to look at Gibbs as he headed for his desk and he tried not to smile at the thought of Abby and Gibbs in bed together. McGee and Ziva weren't at their desks, and were unable to provide the distraction he so desperately needed.

"Got something to say, DiNozzo?"

Gibbs comment slapped the stupid grin off his face. "Uh, no boss."

"Good. I didn't think you wanted everyone to know what you and Ziva had been up too, so keep your mouth shut." Gibbs never lifted his eyes from the file he was reading over, but he could practically feel the warmth radiating from Tony's reddening cheeks.

"I… I, uh… boss?"

Gibbs continued reading, but ran his finger along the collar of his own shirt.

Tony paled instantly, and headed towards the bathroom. "That damn woman…" He had told Ziva not to make a mark, but he had been in such a hurry this morning he hadn't paid attention to a mirror until he was fully dressed.

Once Tony was away from his desk, Gibbs headed down to Abby's lab. He knew that Tony has been pestering her about what may or may not have happened. He could read it in the grin that Tony had returned with.

"Hey Abbs, whatcha doing?" Gibbs stepped up beside her and kissed her temple.

"Just trying to finish cataloging the evidence. You have something for me?" Abby thought his team was off active duty until Monday.

"Nah, just a visit…"

"_Giiiibbs._ That's so sweet."

"… And to tell you that Tony won't be pestering you at work anymore about us."

"Oh really?"

Gibbs gave a quick nod. "I reminded him of his own extracurricular activities with certain female team member and…"Gibbs pointed to the red mark beneath the collar Abby wore. "You aren't the only one."

Abby's eyed widened. "How could I have missed that!" Gibbs watched as Abby typed out an accusatory text to Tony.

Rather than text back Tony called. "How'd you find out so quickly… the boss?"

Abby laughed. "Because I'm his favorite." It was a statement to Tony, but she raised her eyebrows questioning Gibbs.

Gibbs just rolled his eyes and kissed her cheek. He signed 'dinner tonight' as he backed out of the lab, nodding when she signed that she wanted to pick the place.

---------

TBC…

One chapter left…


	41. Chapter 41

Alright, here it is… the last little wrap-up.

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"You want to go _where?_"

"You know, that diner where we went on Veteran's Day, I want to go there."

"I thought we were going somewhere nice?"

"Gibbs, I'm still exhausted from the week. I don't want to go home and get all made up. There is plenty of time for that."

"If that's where you want to go…" Gibbs opened the car door.

"It is." Abby kissed him quickly on the cheek and got in the car. It took slightly longer than expected to get to the diner, traffic had been heavier than usual, and Abby was hungry. They stepped inside and Abby scanned the diner for a familiar sight. She frowned when she didn't see who she was looking for.

Gibbs noticed the frown. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, I just-" Abby jumped at the hand the grasped her shoulder.

"Well now, you look better than the last time I saw you." Shirley's warm smile greeted them both. Both Shirley and Abby noticed the confused look that washed over Gibbs.

"I uh, I came here when I was supposed to be bowling… that… that one time."

Gibbs knew what she was talking about, but before he could say anything Shirley was ushering them towards a booth. "Don't you worry, I took good care of her for you."

Abby and Gibbs settled into the booth and Shirley smiled at them both. "How about I start you with something to drink, and then I'll give you a chance to go over the menu."

Abby's eyes sparkled. "I'll have a chocolate shake, whip cream and a cherry on top, please."

Shirley scribbled it down on her notepad and then looked over to Gibbs. "And what can I get for you, hun?"

Gibbs thought for a moment. "Make it a large shake, two straws."

"Large chocolate shake, coming right up." Shirley placed two straws on the table and gave Abby a wink as she walked away.

Abby smiled across the table at Gibbs. "You are too cute, Gibbs. If we weren't in public… I think I'd jump you right this minute."

"We could get that shake to go…"

Abby had picked the wrapper off one end of a straw, and blew the rest of the wrapper at Gibbs, hitting him on the nose. "I'm too hungry."

"Shame."

Shirley returned a few minutes later with a large shake, and to take their orders. This time they both ordered burgers and fries.

"Don't you two just look so happy."

"We are." They answered in unison.

"Looks like I work for the president, after all." Shirley left Gibbs with a wink. Abby was too busy digging the cherry out of the whip cream to notice the comment or the wink. Gibbs watched her use the cherry to scoop some whip cream and then bring it to her lips.

Abby felt his gaze and looked up at him as she slipped the cherry past her lips and then pulled the stem out. "See something you like, Gibbs?"

"See something I want."

"Geez, Gibbs. Now that you've had a taste…" Abby wiggled her eyebrows at him. "It's ok though, I feel the same way. We're going to have to avoid riding in the elevator at work together. Sometimes I just have no self control."

"I noticed."

Shirley returned with their burgers and fries. "Anything else?"

"No, thank you."

They were halfway through their burgers, talking about anything and everything that crossed their minds. Gibbs loved how there was no difference in the way they could sit and chat, compared to before they finally found themselves as a couple. Nothing had changed – they were just vocal about their love and were sleeping together, but nothing else was different.

He thought back to that morning, he would have liked to wake up with Abby in his arms, but the alternative was just as enjoyable. He was glad to be sharing a bed with someone again. It wasn't just sharing a bed, it was sharing a life together, and he liked that.

"Abbs, I was thinking…" Gibbs paused at her raised eyebrows. "…that maybe you wanted to move your clothes and stuff into the master bedroom. Make it _our_ bedroom. If you still want your own room, that's fine too. I want you in my bed each night and I just thought that maybe it would be easier."

"Our bedroom." Abby toyed with the words and a smiled spread across her face. "I like it. You sure you've got enough room for all my clothes in that closet of yours?"

"Sure." Gibbs didn't fight the smirk. "Your skirts don't take up that much room, Abbs."

Abby just laughed.

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The End!

Thanks so much to everyone and all your awesome reviews – it's all been such wonderful inspiration! I would love to hear what you think of the entire story overall.

Also, I have ideas for a sequel that I will be starting in the next week (while on vacation) and would love to hear what sort of thinks you'd like to see in that.

Thanks again for all your support!!

p.s. I'm headed on vacation for a week – I hope to find many updates/new Gibbs/Abby stories when I return. *hint hint*


	42. Chapter 42

Just a heads up for those of you who enjoyed this story, I've begun posting the sequel called _After You've Gone, _and I hope you check it out :)

Thanks again for reading!


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